The summer holidays have officially started for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – and royal expert Jennie Bond has revealed what the Prince and Princess of Wales might have in store for them during their break
With the summer in full swing, the royals can finally look forward to their annual break. And the holidays have started even sooner for the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who have officially come to the end of another school year.
Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis are now on their summer break from Lambrook School before heading back to class in September. Their parents William and Kate will likely have some fun plans in store for their children – but before that, they both have a huge royal duty to carry out.
Next week will see them officially welcome French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte to the UK and take part in their glittering state visit. But once that huge duty is over, they can start to look towards their holidays – and royal expert Jennie Bond believes the break will be very different to the ones William used to enjoy when he was younger.
The former BBC royal correspondent told the Mirror: “The truth is that school holidays are ringfenced as private time for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their young family. And, these days, that means that their plans remain confidential and they are pretty much left alone.
“It’s a massive change from the days when William was a boy. Back then, the paparazzi regarded Diana, William and Harry as public property, no matter where they were. Thankfully, after the death of the Princess, things changed. And that must be a huge relief to the Waleses.
“That’s not to say William will disappear from public duties – there’s the incoming State Visit from President Macron, for example, and I’m sure there will be a handful of other engagements which he will take on. Catherine will devote herself largely to looking after the children, but we may see her at events like Wimbledon and the State Visit.”
It’s likely the Wales family will be keen to get away from their Windsor home, Adelaide Cottage and decamp to Norfolk, where they can immerse themselves in nature.
Just this week Kate, who spoke about her ‘rollercoaster’ recovery from cancer treatment and its life-changing impact, visited a wellbeing garden at a hospital to highlight the environment’s healing powers.
And Jennie believes the whole family loves the great outdoors. She explained: “The family is likely to be based at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, for most of the long summer break. They love the wide open spaces there, the freedom they have to explore the Sandringham estate and also to play, pretty unhindered, on the beaches.
“The Sandringham farm offers an opportunity for all sorts of fun for the children: tractors to watch, animals to feed and fruit to pick. The family is also very fond of the Scilly Isles and I wouldn’t be surprised if they spent a week or two there.”
But while any location for a holiday would remain private, Jennie says there is definitely one destination they will be paying a visit to this summer – Balmoral.
Each year, the royals head up to the Scottish Highlands estate to enjoy quality family time together with the King and Queen, enjoying picnics, barbecues and long walks.
And Jennie added: “They will almost certainly head north of the border for a week sometime in August when the King and Queen will be in residence at Balmoral.
“It’s a long-standing tradition that the family gather in Scotland to catch their breath, enjoy the peace of the countryside and just have fun being together.”
