Royal summer holiday throwbacks: From Mustique to Mallorca

Which royal will you channel on your next getaway?
1/56
Marissa Desantis16 August 2020

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has put a hold on a lot of summer vacation plans (well, with the exception of a few luxury celebrity escapes). Even members of the Royal Family have had to change their plans.

Prince William and Kate have traded in their usual luxury vacation for a more lowkey trip to the Isles of Scilly. Stateside, Prince Harry and Megan seemed to have found the perfect fix for avoiding summer travel while enjoying a change of scenery, as they’ve purchased a Santa Barbara mansion complete with swimming pool, tennis court and wine cellar.

Internationally, Monaco’s Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene have followed William and Kate’s strategy of keeping their vacation close to home, by visiting Corsica.

Princess Diana and Prince William on Necker Island in 1990
Tim Graham Photo Library via Get

But how did the royals get away from it all pre-COVID? Prince William and Kate prefer the paparazzi-free island of Mustique when they take their children on holiday, while the Monegasque royal family prefers nearby St. Tropez. Occasionally, several of the families have even vacationed together for the ultimate example of royals in relaxation-mode.

Whether you want to skim through some photos for a quick escape from sitting in your living room or you’re planning for some post-lockdown rest and relaxation like the royals, here are some of their best holiday destinations.

Mustique, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Princess Margaret in Mustique, 1976
Getty Images

Princess Margaret became the first Royal to vacation in Mustique in 1976, when photos of her Caribbean island getaway with Roddy Llewellyn were published. The Queen even joined her sister on holiday in 1977.

Princess Margaret’s vacation retreat of choice, Les Jolies Eaux, was a six-bedroom villa that was designed just for her on 10-acres of land that had been given to her as a wedding present. The property, which includes two pools and a five-person household staff, is even available to rent today.

Les Jolies Eaux in Mustique
Courtesy Image

But she’s not the only member of the British Royal Family to enjoy Mustique. Prince William and Kate Middleton have made it their go-to vacation spot, with Kate even visiting the island with her family long before she met William.

Since the two married, they’ve returned to Mustique for babymoons - in 2013, when Kate was pregnant with Prince George, and in 2015, when she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte.

The Cambridges have also returned as a family of five in both 2018 and 2019, reportedly celebrating Prince George’s birthday on the island each year.

Les Jolies Eaux in Mustique
Courtesy Image

While the whole island is relatively private and paparazzi-free (something that has made it a destination for celebrities like Mick Jagger, as well), the Cambridges reportedly rent out Villa Antilles.

The five-bedroom villa can be rented by the week for around $27,000, and it includes a heated outdoor infinity pool, views of Bequia and St. Vincent and a four-person house staff.

Balmoral Castle, Scotland

Balmoral Castle, Scotland, where the Royal Family traditionally spend their summer holidays.
PA

Even a pandemic couldn’t keep the Queen away from her traditional summer retreat to Balmoral Castle (though it is the first time she has left Windsor Castle since the start of the pandemic in March).

Arriving by helicopter with Prince Philip and a small team of staff, the Queen headed to the 50,000-acre estate to relax.

“I think Granny is the most happy there,” said Princess Eugenie in the documentary Our Queen At Ninety, where she also shared that walks, picnics and plenty of time with the family’s dogs were to be expected. “I think she really, really loves the Highlands.”

Though it’s currently closed to the public due to the pandemic, guided tours of the Balmoral Castle grounds, gardens and exhibitions are usually offered throughout the winter months.

Royal Yacht Britannia

Princess Diana and Prince Charles at the start of their honeymoon cruise
Tim Graham Photo Library via Get

Though it was decommissioned in 1997, the British family’s yacht covered more than one million miles during its 44 years of travel.

The yacht was used for diplomatic duties - its 56-seat State Dining Room hosted world leaders like Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela (celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor have also been guests). But in the summer months, it was used by the royal family for vacation, cruising the isles of Scotland

It also became a honeymoon tradition beginning in 1960 when Princess Margaret and then-husband Antony Armstrong-Jones cruised the Caribbean on Britannia. In 1973, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips followed suit with a honeymoon cruise of the Caribbean, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana opted for a Mediterranean cruise in 1981. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson would mark the last royal honeymoon on the yacht when they cruised around the Azores islands of Portugal in 1986.

Today, Britannia serves as a floating museum in Scotland, where it is open to the public to explore.

Nevis, British Virgin Islands

Princess Diana with Princes William and Harry on Nevis Island, 1993
Getty Images

Located in the Caribbean, Nevis is said to have been Princess Diana’s favorite island. In 1993, she headed to the island, which is just under 36 square miles with Princes William and Harry as her separation from Prince Charles was announced.

From lounging under the palm trees to boating (Diana even tried out bodyboarding), the family was said to have stayed at Montpelier Plantation & Beach.

The boutique hotel is made up of 19 rooms that are available to be booked, beginning at $235 per night. In addition to a mosaic pool and private beach access through the hotel, Montpelier also offers a range of activities like scuba diving, biking trails and hiking through the rain forest.

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Getty Images

Montego Bay is known for its beautiful beaches and crystal clear water, so it’s no surprise that quite a few royals have turned to the Jamaican city for some relaxation. The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Harry are all reported to have stayed at the Half Moon resort on their various vacations, with the Queen and Philip first visiting in 2002.

Appropriately, the Queen is said to have stayed at the resort’s Royal Villas, which includes six bedrooms and an oceanfront view. (Prince Harry stayed in the Royal Villas as well when he visited in 2012, though he opted for the five-bedroom option.)

Since it opened in 1954, the 400-acre resort has also attracted other notable figures like John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, Winston Churchill and George H.W. Bush.

Rooms are available to reserve beginning at just over $600 per night, and Half Moon has an array of activities to choose from, including a golf course, water sports and an award-winning spa.

Nassau, Bahamas

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in Nassau, 1967
Getty Images

The Caribbean was a favorite of Princess Margaret’s, who took a six-week cruise around the islands of the Caribbean (by yacht, naturally) after she married Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960.

The couple made a visit to the Bahamas in 1967 before they ultimately split in 1976. But Margaret would continue her tropical getaways, most famously in Mustique at the holiday home she built.

Mallorca, Spain

Princess Elena of Spain, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, the Prince of Wales, ex-King Constantine of Greece, Princess Theodora of Greece, the Princess of Wales, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Queen Sophia of Spain, Prince William in Mallorca, 1990
Getty Images

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain spend every summer holiday in Mallorca with their two daughters, Princesses Leonor and Sofia.

As is tradition, the family shares portraits from their summer residence of Marivent Palace, which is located off the east coast of Spain.

The Spanish royal family has even asked other royals to join them over the years. In 1990, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were joined by Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Prince William, as well as Greece’s ex-King Constantine, Queen Anne-Marie and Princess Theodora.

In addition to the royals enjoying swimming, sailing and sightseeing while in Mallorca, Marivent Palace itself is quite picturesque - and you can also visit the family’s summer residence. The Marivent gardens are open to the public almost year-round (except when the Spanish royal family has their vacation at Marivent, of course).

The garden includes 40 different plant species with geometric hedges and flowerbeds, as well as 12 bronze sculptures by the late artist, Joan Miró.

St. Tropez, France

Princess Caroline in St. Tropez, 1984
Getty Images

Princess Caroline of Monaco (also titled Princess of Hanover) was the ultimate glamour girl when she was photographed vacationing in St. Tropez throughout the ‘80s.

The daughter of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly made quite the case for pairing your gold jewelry with a matching metallic swimsuit while yachting in the French Riviera (or strolling along the sand).

In recent years, she’s continued to serve up inspiring vacation looks while in St. Tropez, pictured in a crochet dress in 2018 with her daughter Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter-in-law Tatiana Santo Domingo and Alessandra de Oma (who is married to Caroline’s stepson).

Princess Diana and Prince Harry in St. Tropez, 1997
Getty Images

But Princess Caroline is far from the only royal to soak up a little summertime sun in St. Tropez. Princess Diana and boyfriend Dodi Fayed were photographed in the South of France in the summer of 1997, shortly before her death.

And Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden frequently vacation in St. Tropez - the couple even took a babymoon there in 2017 when Sofia was pregnant with their second child, Prince Gabriel.

Sainte-Maxime, France

Queen Silvia, Princess Estelle, Princess Victoria, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Daniel Westling in Sainte-Maxime, 2015
Getty Images

Sweden’s Royal Family opts for a different town along the French Riviera - Sainte-Maxime. Their royal residence, Villa Mirage, includes views of the sea, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have been photographed out on their boat with their daughter, Princess Victoria, her husband, Daniel Westling, and their two children, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar.

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia also recently took a family holiday in Sainte-Maxime with their sons, Princes Alexander and Gabriel. But because the town overlooks the Gulf of St. Tropez, the Swedish royal family is frequently spotted there, too.

Corsica, France

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco still managed to go on holiday this summer, taking their twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques to Corsica - though it helps that the island is so close to home.

The family has made this their vacation spot on several occasions, and Princess Charlene even spoke of their upcoming month-long stay during an interview with French magazine, Point de Vue.

“Here, in Corsica, the children feel great freedom,” she is reported to have said. “They’ve the opportunity to live a unique experience, in contact with the elements, the flowers, animals - the entire cycle of nature is offered to us here, literally on our doorstep.”

Princess Charlene even shared an adorable picture of the twins enjoying the beach to her Instagram.

Tuscany, Italy

Prince Willem Alexander, Princess Alexia, Princess Maxima, Queen Beatrix and Princess Amalia in Tavarnelle, Italy, 2006
Getty Images

The Dutch royals prefer to head to their holiday home in the Tuscan hills in the summer months - a region that’s home to vineyards, beaches and some of the most famous architecture in the world.

The Dutch royal family’s Rocco dei Draconi estate was purchased by Princess Beatrix in 1975 and is now owned by King Willem-Alexander, his brother Prince Constantijn and the daughters of their late brother Prince Friso, Luana and Zaria.

King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Maxima, have made it a tradition to visit the estate with their daughters, Princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, sharing photos from their vacations over the years.