Laughing as she carries her baby son in her arms, the Duchess of Cambridge takes future king Prince George on his first foreign holiday.
These relaxed and charming photographs were shot as Kate and her six month-old son disembarked a commercial flight in St Vincent on route to the paradise island of Mustique.
Although the Duchess had to leave her husband, Prince William, at home to continue with his studies at Cambridge University, it was still very much a family occasion.Not only was she joined on the flight out by her now heavily-bearded brother, James, 26 (as well as at least two Scotland Yard bodyguards) she was met out in the Caribbean by her parents, Michael and Carole, and sister Pippa.
Kate jetted out to the exclusive private island, which was made famous by the Queen’s late sister, Prince Margaret, who once had a holiday home there, two weeks ago. There was no sign of her part-time nanny, Jessie Webb.As Kate carefully walked down the stairs onto the landing strip she looked effortlessly casual in a Tori Breton-style top by Ralph Lauren, her favourite J Brand skinny jeans and taupe Mint Velvet canvas pumps. She quickly pushed a pair of designer sunglasses over her eyes to combat the glare of the sun.William has always hinted that his son has something of a healthy appetite - and these new pictures certainly show George to be a bouncing little boyIt is only the fourth time the third in line to the throne has been pictured since his birth last July.
Indeed, he has only officially been seen in the flesh once by members of the public – and that was when he left hospital with his parents when he was little more than 24 hours old.
Wearing a white babygro and a blue and white patterned sun hat to protect his head from the fierce heat, George looked utterly unperturbed by his first foreign jaunt.
His uncle, James, gallantly carried off his mother’s green and beige Brics hand luggage so that she could concentrate on the job in hand – a wise decision given the little prince’s size.
Kensington Palace declined to comment publicly on the pictures this week but, significantly, chose not to lodge a complaint - as they have done over previous paparazzi shots of the Duchess and her son - as they were taken ‘in a public place, without any harassment or pursuit’.
Indeed, the Duchess chose to take a packed commercial British Airways flight to St Vincent, mingling with other passengers before catching her small private plane to Mustique.
The Duchess’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, also prefer to travel by BA as they are still able to obtain a staff discount with the airline.
Mr Middleton was, for many years, an aircraft dispatcher with the firm while his wife was a stewardess before she started her phenomenally successful internet firm, Party Pieces.
George’s doting grandparents and his aunty Pippa,were already on the island, according to well-placed sources (and indeed chose to stay on after she left).
The family have taken an annual holiday on the island for several years now and this year’s trip was designed to coincide with Mrs Middleton’s 59th birthday.Previously they holidayed on neighbouring Barbados – albeit at the upmarket Coral Reef Club resort – but as their fortune grew, they moved over to Mustique, favoured by both royalty and celebrities such as Mick Jagger and Elton John.
The island boasts just 74 villas, two small hotels and is patrolled by eagle-eyed security guards both on and off shore.
This year the Middletons again hired Rocina, a stunning £14,000-a-week beach front villa designed and built in 1971 by Oliver Messel and Arne Hasselqvist in the style of a Caribbean plantation.The four-bedroom villa, which was completely updated in 2009, boasts its own 30 foot pool as well as stunning views over Endeavour Bay. Indeed guests can snorkel in the crystal-clear Caribbean Sea just in front of the house.
Each bedroom has its own en-suite bath and dressing rooms (two of them also have outdoor showers) and the property has an air-conditioned gym for guests who can tear themselves away from the sun and sand. Nearby is a tennis club, equestrian centre and spa.
The exquisite white-washed house also offers visitors three different dining areas including an open veranda with breath-taking views out over the water and a ‘dining gazebo’.Four members of staff – a chef, a butler, a housekeeper and gardener – were on hand throughout the family’s stay to tend to their every whim.
The Duchess and her son remained on the island for a week – just enough time to get some colour in their cheeks – before flying back to the UK the Sunday before last to be reunited with doting dad William.
He is undertaking a bespoke 10 week course in agricultural management course at Cambridge University and was unable to take any time off.
Still, he need not worry about his air miles quite yet.
The prince and his wife are due to undertake a three-week tour to Australia and New Zealand in April and are hoping to take baby George with them.
That means the little prince will have travelled some 40,000 miles before he is even ten months old – a fitting start to his royal globe-trotting career.
No comments:
Post a Comment