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Prince William and Princess Kate sample Indian food cooked by Vikram Vij at visit Mission Hill Winery in 2016© Getty

How the Prince and Princess of Wales travel to Balmoral

The Royal Family have spent countless summers in the Scottish highlands…

August 26, 2023
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It has been revealed that King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived at Balmoral and The Prince and Princess of Wales shouldn't be too far behind them - and their mode of transport is so down-to-earth.

This time last year, Princess Kate, Prince William, and their brood of royal youngsters touched down in Scotland after travelling on an economy flight to the royal residence. And they certainly caused a stir with fellow passengers!

Royals' travel secrets

The royal tradition of spending the latter weeks of the summer holidays at the decadent highland abode is steeped in history, beginning when Queen Victoria acquired the estate.

According to one TikTok user last year, Princess Kate was spotted alighting her flight with two of her three little ones, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, four, in tow. Meanwhile, Prince William travelled separately with 11-year-old Prince George. 

Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, and Prince Harry play on the bank of the River Dee, near Balmoral Estate, Scotland, on April 10,1987, in Ballater, Scotland.© Julian Parker
Balmoral has been the holiday destination for the royals for years

Royal protocol dictates that two heirs should never travel together but William appears to have broken this rule a number of times since Prince George was born. 

According to the passenger last year, Kate did what every normal mum would do on a flight with her children, she wrote: " [Kate] got up halfway through the flight to get her daughter's iPad. And yes she was stunning, even gave me a smile while looking back at the row behind her to talk to her son."

Catherine, then-Duchess of Cambridge waves while she is driven to Crathie Kirk Church before the service on August 25, 2019 in Crathie, Aberdeenshire.© Duncan McGlynn
Catherine, then-Duchess of Cambridge waves while she is driven to Crathie Kirk Church before the service on August 25, 2019 in Crathie, Aberdeenshire.

Despite her casual mode of transport, Kate's impeccable outfit was anything but, and she donned a fabulous linen-look midi skirt in sage green, layering with a khaki blazer for the flight.

Princess Charlotte looked equally as beautiful wearing a long-sleeved floral dress. Her honey-hued locks were styled into neat French plaits, whilst Prince Louis walked alongside in navy tailored shorts and a blue shirt.

Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew at Balmoral © Keystone
Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew at Balmoral

Another precedent set for royal air travel is that the royals all have monogrammed luggage. Princess Charlotte was spotted with a monogrammed bag just like her dad, who on his trip to Australia in 2011, was seen sporting luggage emblazoned with the letter W and a crown.

Kate isn’t quite so formal as her beau and allegedly has a more eclectic mix of bags and suit carriers. The royal couple also previously had an organized luggage tag system with a different color label for each family member —when Prince George was a baby his was baby blue - adorable!

Balmoral was a destination favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who used to spend the summer months there in private. King and Camilla have already received Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, according to  ITV News' Royal Editor Chris Ship.

Eugenie arrived with her adorable two children, August, two, and baby Ernest. Meanwhile, Beatrice touched down with her beau Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and their family.

The beautiful estate spans around 50,000 acres, boasting a breathtaking landscape of mountains, rivers, lochs, woodland, and gardens.

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