Prince William and Kate Middleton broke major tradition with exotic honeymoon.
The Prince and Princess of Wales had a spectacular royal wedding in 2011, and they embarked on a no-expense-spared trip to the Seychelles for their honeymoon shortly after. The reason Prince William and Princess Kate's post-wedding holiday broke with tradition was not because of the destination, but because of the timings.
Traditionally, married couples depart for their honeymoon straight from their wedding day, but they decided to go against royal protocol and stay overnight in the UK before jetting off.
Their wedding night was still pretty spectacular as the couple stayed at the Queen's iconic home of Buckingham Palace after their show-stopping celebrations.
Once they finally departed 10 days after their nuptials, Prince William and Kate reportedly headed for an exclusive location, the North Island in the Seychelles.
This luxury resort costs upwards of £5,000 a night and we are sure the idyllic surroundings were the perfect place to celebrate their newlywed status.
The resort only has 11 luxurious villas so it provides a complete escape from the outside world – just what they would have wanted after their wedding, which was watched by an estimated 24 million viewers in the UK alone.
A popular choice for high-profile guests,George and Amal Clooney stayed there following their wedding in 2014, while Salma Hayek also honeymooned on the island.
Royal honeymoons.
Over the years, royal honeymoons have changed from quiet trips to British country homes into escapes to private tropical islands. For a long time, British royals loved a two-part trip.
They would start at the grand Broadlands estate in England, and then move to Birkhall, a quiet hunting lodge in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip did this in 1947, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana followed suit in 1981.
In the mid-1900s, royals started using the Royal Yacht Britannia to get away from the cameras. Princess Margaret took a six-week Caribbean cruise on the yacht in 1960. Princess Anne sailed to the Galápagos Islands in 1973, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana used it to cruise the Mediterranean.
Nowadays, privacy is a major factor in the younger royal generation's choices, meaning secluded spots are of the utmost importance. In 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hid away at a secret luxury safari lodge in Africa.
Other global royals love this type of private escape too. In 1956, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly took a seven-week Mediterranean cruise on a private yacht. In 2004, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain secretly flew off to a private island resort in Fiji.
That headline refers to a highly publicized moment following their royal wedding on April 29, 2011. Prince William and Kate Middleton (now the Prince and Princess of Wales) stepped away from decades of royal precedent in two distinct ways regarding their honeymoon.
Here is exactly how they broke from tradition:
1. They Delayed Their Departure.
Historically, British royal couples left for their honeymoon on the afternoon of their wedding day, often being driven away directly from the reception.
The Tradition: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip left immediately for Broadlands in Hampshire on their wedding day in 1947. Similarly, Prince Charles and Princess Diana departed for their honeymoon cruise aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia right after their 1981 wedding festivities.
The Break: William and Kate chose to spend their wedding night quietly at Buckingham Palace. Instead of jetting off the next morning, Prince William went straight back to work as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot in Anglesey, North Wales. The couple actually delayed their official overseas honeymoon by 10 days.
2. A Total Media Blackout.
For past royal generations, it was customary to have an official media photocall either at the airport or at the beginning of the honeymoon to satisfy public curiosity before the press left the couple in peace.
William and Kate completely skipped the traditional media photocall. They insisted on total privacy, keeping the location a strict secret from the public and the press until after they returned.
The Exotic Destination.
When they finally did slip away, they traveled to North Island in the Seychelles, a highly exclusive, private island in the Indian Ocean. They stayed in a luxury villa costing upwards of £6,000 a night, surrounded by pristine white sand beaches and tropical water, entirely away from the lenses of the paparazzi.
Tags: Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan, Lilibet
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