We’ve all got the message: the three children of William and Kate lead lives of wholesome, old-fashioned, Enid Blyton ordinariness.
When not tagging along at state occasions, George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and Louis, seven, are frolicking in East Anglian haystacks and having swordfights with twigs.
Oh, and cruising round the Greek Islands aboard a superyacht.
The Waleses’ recent Mediterranean sojourn is just one of the four or five vacations – at least – they’ve taken so far this year.
Shame there was no time for the Prince and Princess of Wales to attend last week’s VJ Day ceremonies.
William, remember, will be head of the Armed Forces in the not-too-distant future. Yet, all the couple did to mark the moment – the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War – was post a message on social media.
True, William broke off from his Greek holibobs, accompanied by Charlotte, to cheer on the Lionesses in the final of the Euros. He is president of the Football Association, after all.
But it was bad luck for the Bafta awards earlier in the year. William is Bafta president and would surely have been expected to grace its biggest, glitziest night of the year.
We’ve all got the message: the three children of William and Kate lead lives of wholesome, old-fashioned, Enid Blyton ordinariness
But a February jolly to the Caribbean island of Mustique meant the Waleses missed the annual ceremony. Maybe they got wind Tom Cruise was a no-show.
It all raises this rather awkward question: are the Waleses taking the piste? (They were on the slopes last winter, of course, and again at Easter.)
It seems to some of us that William and Kate want the privileges of their position – the onboard chef, the freedom of never having to take out a mortgage or apply for a Capital One card – but not the tedium the job so often entails, or the scrutiny.
The Waleses have just announced they’re moving to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in the heart of Windsor Great Park – well away from prying eyes.
More to the point, William has made it clear that, when he’s king, the Lodge will be his ‘forever’ home. He will not be moving his family into that globally renowned symbol of the British monarchy, Buckingham Palace.
King Charles and Camilla have chosen not to live at Buck House, either. Their excuse is it’s currently undergoing a £369million renovation. Dear God! King George VI and his family didn’t budge when it was being bombed!
William broke off from his Greek holibobs, accompanied by Charlotte, to cheer on the Lionesses in the final of the Euros. He is president of the Football Association, after all
But at least the King and Queen live close by. Their London home, Clarence House, is just a short walk from the palace and is used for official visits and receptions.
William and Kate, once in their new digs at the end of a long, private road? The doors will be firmly shut.
Contrast William’s attitude with that of his late grandmother. There’s a scene in Netflix drama The Crown that sums it up.
Philip has just finished decorating Clarence House, making it their family home, but the late Queen, played by Claire Foy, is clear: ‘We have to give it up,’ she says. ‘The home of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is Buckingham Palace.’
Philip, played by Matt Smith: ‘Says who?’
‘Me,’ comes the one-word reply.
So, Queen Elizabeth and the family moved into a home they disliked. Because that was her job. That was the deal.
The King, who is 76, carried out 233 engagements, even though he, too, has been having cancer treatment. Charles and Camilla were even shipped off on an exhausting official visit to last year
Of course, I have some sympathy for Kate. She has undergone major surgery. She is in remission from cancer.
But the Waleses, both 43, are still young.
Up until June in 2025, William had performed 71 engagements, Kate nine. They conducted 22 jointly.
Yet King Charles, who is 76, carried out 233 engagements in the same period even though he, too, has been having cancer treatment.
Charles and Camilla were even shipped off on an exhausting official visit to last year.
My goodness, the Gloucesters, in their 70s and 80s, managed to visit Norwich and Suffolk on the same day!
A February jolly to the Caribbean island of Mustique meant the Waleses missed the annual Baftas. It all raises this rather awkward question: are the Waleses taking the piste? (They were on the slopes last winter, of course, and again at Easter)
Kate and William tend to stick closer to home.
This isn’t a new habit. After their wedding in 2011, Kate took extended breaks following the births of her children.
Kate prioritised being at home with Prince George and Princess Charlotte when they were very young.
The late Queen Elizabeth went back to work weeks after giving birth, as do many women in this country. She undertook 201 official engagements at the age of 96.
One leading commentator suggested recently that Kate is ‘at that age where you start to see clearly the difference between duty and loyalty and pointless b******s’ foisted on you in the name of good form, etiquette and keeping other people happy.
‘She will care less and care more about having a balanced life.’
If that is true, it does not augur well.
We must not forget that Kate has been very ill, and her recovery is the most important thing of all at present.
But William should remember that he is a popular figure who – in the words of the late Queen – must be seen to be believed. That is true now – and will be all the more so when he eventually becomes King.