The King & Queen of the Holiday freebie

Queuing for your easyJet plane and counting the meagre euros you got at the bureau de change? Then look away now...

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 yet another low-cost holiday, this time a ten-day break at a charming 16th Century chateau in the South of France, courtesy of communications tycoon Michael Green.

It appears to be the latest in a string of freebies provided by a willing and very wealthy network of friends and acquaintances in Switzerland, Barbados, Mustique and other desirable locations around the globe. Among those who have opened their doors are the owners of the Jigsaw fashion chain, a hedge fund millionaire, fellow Royals and the late Duke of Westminster.

The Cambridges are hardly short of money. Prince William has a personal fortune estimated at around £20 million. But as royal author and editor of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward says: ‘The fact is, people are bending over backwards to host the Cambridges.

‘It’s the ultimate status symbol to

have them to stay, even if the hosts are away.’ Prestige transport – usually a private jet – is thrown in.

In March, the Duke of Westminster flew the Cambridges to the French Alps, where they enjoyed a secret four-day skiing break in Courchevel. It is understood the holiday was arranged by the Duchess’s mother, Carole Middleton, who asked obliging friends – yet to be identified – for a chalet.

Guests included Prince George’s godfather Hugh Grosvenor, the late Duke of Westminster’s eldest son, who last week inherited the £9billion 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 £20,000.

Kate and William have also stayed at the Villa Aurora, a luxury holiday home on Mustique owned by the Middleton’s friend Mark Cecil, a hedge fund millionaire. The Cecils were invited to William and Kate’s 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 Royal Wedding and is a close friend of the Middletons.

‘The Cambridges never have to pay for anything when they are in Mustique,’ says a source on the island. ‘They are always looked after. They have drivers, private chefs and a team of staff at their disposal.’

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 the Queen’s nephew David Linley’s 19th Century hunting lodge, the Chateau d’Autet, in 2012 was less successful. Nestled in the Luberon hills in Provence, they had the 12-room chateau to themselves and Kate felt so relaxed she dared to sunbathe topless. French paparazzi immortalised the moment.

In 2014, Jecca joined William for a boar hunting trip with Hugh Grosvenor at the 32,000 acre Westminster family estate in Spain.

Then last month, the Duke of Westminster flew William and Kate in his £8 million private jet to South West France, where they stayed at La Rocque, Michael Green’s chateau in the village of Pouydraguin.

A spokesman for Kensington Palace last night declined to comment on the couple’s recent holiday.

The Cambridges never pay for anything in Mustique