The King & Queen of the Holiday freebie
Queueing for a Ryanair f light and staring at your pocketful of euros? Then look away now. It’s...
THEY famously have two vast family homes of their own. Yet it seems the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge like nothing better than to stay at someone else’s house. And preferably for free.
Last week saw the couple enjoy another low-cost holiday, this time a 10-day break at a 16thcentury chateau in the south of France, courtesy of communications tycoon Michael Green.
It’s the latest in a string of freebies provided by a willing and wealthy network of friends and acquaintances in Barbados, Mustique, Switzerland and other desirable locations.
Among those who have opened their doors are a hedge fund millionaire, the owners of the Jigsaw fashion chain, other royals and the late Duke of Westminster. The Cambridges are hardly short of money. Prince William has a personal fortune estimated at around £20m (€23m). But royal author and editor of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward says: ‘The fact is, people are bending over backwards to host them.
‘It’s the ultimate status symbol to have them to stay, even if the hosts are away.’ A private jet is usually thrown in.
In March, the Duke of Westminster flew the Cambridges to the French Alps, where they enjoyed a four-day skiing break in Courchevel. It is understood the holiday was arranged by Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, who asked obliging friends – not identified – for a chalet.
Guests included Prince George’s godfather Hugh Grosvenor, the late Duke of Westminster’s son, who last week inherited the £8.5m family fortune.
But it is the sunshine that particularly appeals to William and Kate. They have enjoyed several stints on the private Caribbean island of Mustique and have stayed at the Villa Hibiscus, owned by Kate’s family friends John and Belle Robinson, now separated, owners of the Jigsaw fashion chain. The villa is usually rented for €23,000.
Kate and William have also stayed at the Villa Aurora, a luxury holiday home on Mustique owned by the Middletons’ friend Mark Cecil, a hedge fund millionaire. The Cecils were invited to the Royal wedding in 2011.
In 2015, Kate and William stayed at the Villa Rocina on Mustique with members of the Middleton family. The house is owned by Venezuelan millionairess Violera Alvarez, who was at the couple’s wedding and is a close friend of the Middletons.
When not in France or the Caribbean, William loves nothing more than a visit to Africa. He has an open invitation to stay at any of the numerous luxury lodges at the 55,000-acre Kenyan game reserve run by the family of his ex-girlfriend Jecca Craig.
It was during a stay at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy that William proposed to Kate in 2010.
Their stay at Queen Elizabeth’s nephew David Linley’s 19th-century hunting lodge, the Château d’Autet in 2012 was less successful. They had the 12-room Provence château to themselves and Kate felt so relaxed she dared to sunbathe topless. Paparazzi immortalised the moment.
A spokesman for the royals last night declined to comment on the couple’s recent holidays.