Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Urged to Give Up Favorite Perk Labeled as a Problem by Royal Experts

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Commonwealth Games

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, two of the 11 working members of the British Royal Family, have been urged to give up their favorite perk, according to a royal expert, giving some warning that this "perk" is presenting a problem in The Firm (Prince Philip's term for the Royal Family).

This favorite perk of the Cambridges, "holidaying whenever they want", allows a huge hole in their function as working royals.

As Prince William's aunt, The Princess Royal, would put it, "being royal is not about perks and privileges, it's about a job."

Some royal observers also take notice of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's holiday style where they take longer breaks than any other royal family members, including those of other royals of Europe.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Commonwealth Games
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their daughter, Princess Charlotte. Photo: Getty Images

They are not shy of a holiday, but the couple has been warned that their holiday habits are a bit of a “problem”, giving examples of other working members of the family who rarely take a long vacation abroad.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and even Princess Anne and her children, rarely go out of the country to take a vacation. 

After taking a short break, say a month, they are back to work, and unlike the Cambridges which often take them two months off the radar of public life because they are on a private holiday somewhere else, according to royal experts.

Royal expert Daniela Elser wrote for news.com.au: “It's time for the Cambridges to give up this royal perk. They can't have their nearly 100 days of holiday per year and still try to sell themselves as the Duke and Duchess of Relatability.”

Balmoral Castle in Scotland
Balmoral Castle, the summer holiday home of The Queen

The Queen owns a number of holiday homes in the United Kingdom: Sandringham in Norfolk, Balmoral in Scotland, and other private holiday homes. 

However, William and Kate and their children annually (except during the pandemic) spend their summer break for two weeks at Mustique in the Caribbean, reportedly at Villa Antilles which would cost them US$49,000 a week.

Read: William and Kate's favorite Summer Destination

The income and expenses of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children are provided by Prince Charles from the income of his duchy of Cornwall. However, the Cambridge couple also receives allowances from the Sovereign Grant (taxpayers funded), like cost of security, when they perform official royal duty.

Balmoral Castle in Scotland
Villa Antilles in Mustique, the Cambridges favorite holiday destination

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a recent appearance at the Commonwealth Games with their daughter, Princess Charlotte, along with the Wessex family but they have a small number of public appearances over the coming months.

The Princess Royal, The Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall still top the working members of the Royal Family with the most public engagement attended this year.

The Cambridges at the recent Commonwealth Games appearance in Birmingham

William and Kate are currently on a holiday in an undisclosed location since early July, and would only show up in public when there's a schedule for their appearance. They are not expected to fully return to their royal duties until early autumn in September. 

They are also unique as the only royal pairs in Europe who regularly take a full summer break of two months. 

Apart from their summer break, they also take a regular winter break in the French alps or in Switzerland. The most recent being in early April this year after their Caribbean Tour.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at polo charity event
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a charity polo match

Other royal experts and royal observers have criticized their fondness for holidaying over the summer, with Daniela adding: 

“There's no way around it: William and Kate have a holiday problem. At issue here is that just because they can take months of the year off and that traditionally members of the royal family have, does not mean they should".

“The Duke and Duchess can take vast swathes of time off whenever they fancy because they have complete control over their schedules, aside from key events like Trooping the Colour and Remembrance Day, meaning they can spend a week on the beach, even if it is in the Cornish Isles of Scilly, rather than at their 19th-century mahogany desks whenever the mood strike".

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge official portrait
First joint official portrait for a public benefit. 
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The Cambridges are making limited appearances over the next few months, which made other royal observers to revive the "Lazy Kate" branding for the Duchess of Cambridge before she married Prince William in 2011.  

“There is also the fact that this bad habit also serves to revive the Lazy Kate narrative that haunted her for years", according to The Express. 

Now more revelations about the Queen's opinion of Kate before Prince William’s proposal in 2010, made their way to the public. A senior royal aide reported that the Queen thought Kate needed to “get a job” before she and Prince William will get married.

They (royal aides) told the Daily Mail: “The Queen has admitted she has no idea what Kate actually does.” Adding that Her Majesty is “of the opinion that Kate should be working. She believes in a modern monarchy and feels very strongly that the royals should be leading by example.”

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
At the National Service of Thanksgiving, June 4

Now, as royal experts take notice of their "perk problem" and "long holidaying habit",  a royal source was heard saying: “Mostly she just waits for William to come home so that they can go on another holiday.”

The Duke and Duchess began their roles as full-time royals in 2017, following the retirement of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and six years after their wedding.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey, March 2022

Daniela even compared Princess Diana to the pair, saying she “was chucked in the deep end and shunted off to charm the masses in regional town centers before she had even gotten all the wedding confetti out of her hair.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children will have another summer holiday extension as they are expected to join the Queen in Balmoral, where Her Majesty is currently staying, later this month.

Other royal observers weighed in on William and Kate's "problem" on vacation abroad perks, commenting that the royal couple should not necessarily give up the summer break perk, as taking a vacation is a vital factor in having a work-life balance.

And embarking on a Caribbean trip for summer is not a huge problem for the monarchy. Royal experts are just suggesting that the Cambridges must cut the number of weeks of their summer break, instead of taking two months off, why not just three weeks?

Other "hardworking royals" rarely take summer holiday longer than two weeks. Even The Queen only stays at her Balmoral estate for three weeks during summer break.

This article first appeared in The Express 

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