The Prince and Princess of Wales’ Long Summer Holiday is Raising Eyebrows in the Royal Household, Royal Commentator Says
“There aren’t many families where both the father and mother are able to have 12 or 13 weeks with their children on all of their school breaks."
Though the Prince and Princess of Wales have been busier than ever since taking on those new titles last September, it seems that, according to a royal commentator, William and Catherine’s long summer holiday is raising eyebrows to some Palace staffers.
The couple have, according to The Mirror, “blocked off much of the summer” to spend time with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The family of five are known to have spent time this summer at their country home, Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham estate; they are also reportedly headed to Balmoral this week to join King Charles there for an end-of-the-summer getaway. The Mirror also reported that the Wales family of five jetted off to Mustique, long a favorite Caribbean escape for members of the royal family (Princess Margaret was practically synonymous with the island). George, Charlotte, and Louis return to school at Lambrook on September 6, in just over a week’s time, so the family seems to be enjoying the end of their collective time off together.
“I do think that is an issue for them, as well,” said royal commentator Richard Palmer. “They’re very popular—they’re a huge asset to the U.K.—but there have been eyebrows raised in other parts of the royal household about the amount of time they’re not doing official engagements. It may well be that they come under a little bit of pressure to up their number of engagements.”
Though Palmer acknowledged that work may have been done by William and Catherine “behind the scenes”—and while many parents take time out during the summer months to enjoy their children, who are off of school—Palmer said that very few of these families will get this much time off. “There aren’t many families where both the father and mother are able to have 12 or 13 weeks with their children on all of their school breaks,” he said on the “Royal Round Up” podcast. “I think there’s an awful lot of goodwill towards them, but they do need to keep an eye on that.”
William and Catherine have brought their children along to some engagements this summer, including, of course, the Coronation, Trooping the Colour, Wimbledon, and a visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo.
William and Catherine have made it no secret that their three children are a priority to them, and always have been—and both are committed to raising their three in a way that is markedly different from other royal children of yesteryear. “William and Kate have made it very clear that their children are their priority this summer holiday,” Palmer said. “They have blocked off much of the summer so that they can spend time with the children in the U.K. The Princess of Wales has made it clear that her children will remain her priority for the foreseeable future, and when you hear William and Harry talking about his childhood and how their father was always at his desk or away somewhere, you can perhaps understand why that is a priority.”
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has praised William for being “committed” to his royal role while also prioritizing his family: “With the late Queen’s ailing health, William probably had to step up to his full-time royal job quicker than he might have hoped, but you can see now how committed he is,” she said. “However, I also very much admire the fact that he’s not a workaholic like his father, he knows how important family life is…He seems to be a full-on, hands-on, caring dad.”
For context, in 2022, Princess Anne—long dubbed the “hardest working royal”—carried out 214 engagements. King Charles came in second place with 181 engagements last year, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (Prince Edward and Sophie) came in third and fourth place, with 143 and 138 engagements, respectively. William amassed 126 and Catherine 90, with the Princess of Wales coming in ninth place out of the working royals. “Although the couple have not done as many engagements as others, the choice is seen as understandable, given what William experienced growing up,” The Daily Express reports.
That said, the workload continues to increase for the couple—The Mirror reports that, because of the dwindling number of working royals (three senior royals have departed the Firm in the last three years), William and Catherine are “set for even more responsibility,” the outlet reports.
