According to local press, the royals were zipped from their plane to Agia Pelagia, a small marina five minutes south of the airport, before being taken by tender to the yacht. A piece in The Kefalonia Press, as reported by The Daily Mail, said that ‘the children impressed with their politeness and patience during the procedures and inconveniences of the trip,’ and that Prince George in particular showed a deep love for the island. It’s understood that at one point, the yacht’s staff headed ashore to pick up snorkelling equipment for the heir to the throne, who was apparently ‘fascinated by the seabed of Kefalonia’.
The whole family remained on board the Lady Beatrice for five days, heading home on the 26 July. Their trip may have been cut short by the Lionesses steady route to victory: on the 27 July, Prince William and Princess Charlotte flew to Switzerland to cheer on their home team in the Euros final the day after.
In August, the royals could be seen driving to a church service in Scotland, as they spent time with the rest of the family at Balmoral
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The following month, the fivesome were back together again in Scotland, making the most of their annual break on the Balmoral estate with the rest of the royals. Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children were spotted heading to a church service at Crathie Kirk in their Range Rover, the Princess showing off hair lightened by the Greek sun. The yearly trip north of the border is a long-held tradition for the whole royal family, who decamp to Scotland every summer to fish, ride and walk. William and Kate tend not to stay in the 52-bedroom castle like many of the family, however. Instead, they and their family can be found in their own cottage, nestled in a secluded spot on the 5,000 acre estate.
The couple are said to hold particular affection for Scotland, where they began their romance as St Andrews students
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Gifted to the Prince by his late great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, just before she died in 2002, Tam-Na-Ghar is outwardly small and simple. A three-bedroom cottage built in the traditional style of Scottish lodges, it is said to be one of the Wales family’s most special homes, both for the memories it holds and the privacy it offers. While it was not until 2009 that Kate went to Balmoral on an official visit, she has been a regular at Tam-Na-Ghar ever since she began dating William in 2001. While they were students at St Andrews University, the couple would reportedly escape to the cottage for some alone time, hiding away at the bolthole in order to avoid the paparazzi. According to close sources, the couple have told friends that Tam-Na-Ghar is the site of some of their happiest times together over the years.
Whether they’re enjoying bracing walks on the moors of Scotland or stretching out in the Greek sunshine, it’s clear that for William and Kate, the essential ingredients for a summer holiday are relatively simple: guaranteed privacy and plenty of time to relax with their family.