Royal Ruckus: William and Kate's Long Holidays 'Rubbing Royal Household Staff Up the Wrong Way'
Aug. 26 2023, Published 11:01 a.m. ET
Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting flak from their staff for taking a lot of time off this summer, a royal expert claims.
The pair have been spending time with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, in Mustique and Balmoral Castle in Scotland with their children, which has caused some concern, Richard Palmer said.
"I do think that is an issue for them as well. They’re very popular, they’re a huge asset to the U.K., but there have been eyebrows raised in other parts of the royal household about the amount of time they’re not doing official engagements. It may well be that they come under a little bit of pressure to up their number of engagements," he said.
“There aren’t many families where both the father and mother are able to have 12 or 13 weeks with their children on all of their school breaks. I think there’s an awful lot of goodwill towards them, but they do need to keep an eye on that," Palmer said in the Daily Express' "Royal Round Up" podcast.
Palmer previously noted how the duo are carving out time for their three children this summer.
"The Princess of Wales has made it clear that her children will remain her priority for the foreseeable future and when you hear William and Harry talking about his childhood and how their father was always at his desk or away somewhere, you can perhaps understand why that is a priority," he said last month.
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Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond applauded William for not always working, even though he has a key role in the royal family.
"With the late Queen’s ailing health, William probably had to step up to his full-time royal job quicker than he might have hoped, but you can see now how committed he is," he said. "However, I also very much admire the fact that he’s not a workaholic like his father, he knows how important family life is ... He seems to be a full-on, hands-on, caring dad."
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Since this break from school will be the first time the royal family is visiting Balmoral since Queen Elizabeth's death, they are concerned about how things will be different this time around.
"The younger one is now asking questions like, 'Do you think we can still play these games when we go to Balmoral?' and things like that, cause she's not going to be there," Kate said.