This past weekend, Prince William was forced to “work.” He traveled to France to attend the reopening of Notre Dame, and he also did a private meeting with Donald Trump at the British embassy. His French agenda probably counts for like six or seven events all told. It’s notable because William and Kate do not like to work on weekends (or weekdays, if we’re being honest). They avoid weekend engagements like the plague. We’re supposed to assume that as soon as the kids are out of school on any given Friday, the family travels (usually by helicopter) to Norfolk, where they spend their weekends at Anmer Hall. But two weekends ago, William quietly changed up that routine. Apparently, he quietly flew to Spain for a hunting trip at the Duke of Westminster’s enormous estate. From the Mail’s Eden Confidential column:
Here’s a clear sign the Princess of Wales really is better now: I hear Prince William felt able to leave her for a shooting weekend in Spain. According to my tapas-eating sources, last weekend the heir to the throne stayed at La Garganta, the 37,000-acre estate in Castile-La Mancha owned by the billionaire Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, 33, who’s godfather to Prince George.
Said to be the largest privately owned hunting estate in Europe, it’s known for wild boar, deer and partridge. William, 42, previously visited in 2014 with Prince Harry.
Our future king was an usher at Hugh’s wedding last year to Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral.
Kensington Palace and a spokesman for the duke decline to comment.
Trust Richard Eden to put the most slavishly monarchist spin on a story about a man abandoning his wife and children for an international hunting trip during the school year! Yes, the heir slipped away to hunt boar without his wife and kids, but that must mean Kate is feeling better! O RLY? Something I’ve always found odd about William and the royal rota is that it’s like there’s absolutely zero energy towards keeping up with his location at any given moment. Charles never kept his schedule and his travels THAT secretive when he was Prince of Wales. But William can not only go missing for weeks at a time, he can also vacation internationally with no one knowing until weeks and sometimes months after the fact. Meanwhile, if the Prince of Montecito flies to Vegas, the Mail has the plane’s tail number within an hour.
PS… Remember that story about the current Danish king and how he possibly met his side-chick at a big-game hunt? Interesting.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks during the ceremony for 12th annual Tusk Conservation Awards, at The Savoy Hotel in London on November 27, 2024. The awards recognise dedicated, forward-thinking individuals who are conservation leaders and wildlife rangers across Africa. NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS,Image: 940334722, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red/Avalon/Avalon
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- State visit by The Amir of the State of Qatar, Ceremonial Welcome by The King and Queen, Horse Guards Parade London 3 December 2024,Image: 942415676, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Heathcliff O’Malley for the Telegraph/Avalon/Avalon
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 03: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales arrive in a carriage at Buckingham Palace during day one of The Amir of the State of Qatar’s visit to the United Kingdom on December 03, 2024 in London, England. His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, accompanied by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, will hold several engagements with The Prince and Princess of Wales, The King and Queen as well as political figures.,Image: 942433347, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson/Avalon/Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, walks to attend the “Together At Christmas” carol service at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain, December 6, 2024.,Image: 943708454, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Isabel Infantes/Avalon/Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, walks towards Catherine, Princess of Wales, on the day of the “Together At Christmas” carol service at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain, December 6, 2024.,Image: 943708458, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Isabel Infantes/Avalon/Avalon
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- The Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, (centre) meets with personnel from the Specialist Platoons during a visit to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, to hear how they have been transitioning from ceremonial duty back to the Field Army. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: Salisbury, United Kingdom When: 26 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, launching a drone during a visit to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, to hear how they have been transitioning from ceremonial duty back to the Field Army Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: Salisbury, United Kingdom When: 26 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards on the first day of the two-day State Visit to Britain of The Emir of Qatar and his wife Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 03 Dec 2024 Credit: Cover Images
I imagine they usually know PW’s location and either cover up for him or are too bored to bother. So why report this now? Is this a nudge about something to do with a side chick?
A Spanish paper reported on the hunt, and when this filtered into the mainstream via the Squad, I guess they made Maureen “will work for kibbles” write about it, because it could no longer be ignored.
Didn’t he leave before for a similar Spanish hunting trip…where Jecca Craig was present as well? Wonder what women were present this time?
Cosign on remembering this
Yes, and he left Kate and the children home while he took the “hunting weekend.”
That trip was on Charlotte’s first Easter, IIRC. He left them to go hunting on Jecca’s family estate.
The hunting trip with Jecca (and Harry) was pretty early on in their marriage. William also missed charlotte’s first Easter to attend a Jecca’s wedding at her parents estate in Kenya.
Harry was at the hunting trip and that’s probably something he could have included in the other 400 pages.
That was my first thought- what are the reporters hinting at? This is the hunt that Jecca used to go to. Wonder if she was there? Kate’s well enough now that he can take back up with his girlfriends?
Lordy, I saw something about this hunting wknd on SM but couldn’t tell if it was real or rumor. Well, guess it was real. These hunting trips seem coded for a different type of hunting. Is William hunting for something new? But either way, Eden is telling us that means Kate must be better. Poor Kate. William has a hunting wknd so now she must be better which might signal that she may have to do more work events😂😂.
That photo of the two of them in the car. Kate looks medicated to the eyeballs.
She looks deeply miserable and disgusted to be sitting so near to him. If this were any other couple there would be tons of rumors of a split from this one picture only.
She looks like she’s on the verge of tears in the car picture. But the picture above the one in the car is the one that really gets me. That one looks like he’s actually baring his teeth at her like a wild animal.
Totally agree. Literally to the eyeballs. Not a single sparkle in her eyes.
I definitely feel like something else must go on at these hunting parties besides just hunting boar or whatever. Maybe the mistress went with him?
Or he is discreetly looking for a new one?
OR – Mr Burns was there with the future queen.
But.. but what about the children? Doesn’t he pretend that he is such a devoted dad doing constantly the school run and therefore, not working because of them? I guess it’s the work he wants to avoid and not weekends expeditions…
That Kate pic with her mother in the car during #kategate happened after Will informed the media that he was doing the school runs, that is why he can’t work. Then, we got blurry Kate pic doing the school run to ruin Will’s narrative.
I do remember that story about the Danish King meeting his side piece at a hunting party in Spain. Maybe Peg is hoping for the same magic to happen for him. Mr Single Global Statesman.
There have been reports about solo hunting trips since William became the Prince of Wales; I believe the one last year was at Balmoral with “friends”? I would think it was NBD – a couple together for more than twenty years, married for more than 10 go on solo trips from time to time, newsflash! – except for the obvious benching of Kate recently…
Kate’s been better. She’s probably been better since well before they filmed the summer’s eve commercial. Why would William’s hunting to trip to Spain signal that she’s healthy now? By her own admission, months ago, she’s done with preventative chemo and is cancer free.
You’re right. She did already say she was better so why is Eden even making this about well Kate must be better then? Unless it was just to make clear that she was left at home and didn’t attend the hunt w her husband.
The former King of Spain too. Plenty of side pieces are involved in these hunting weekends
I bet he’s been there plenty of times, they just allowed this to “leak”. Funny when/how the leaks appear, right?
With the Sussexes it was very common, but here with this family, they put up walls and move around without complaining or people knowing (to avoid criticism).
Sneaky and shady as hell. This is Chucks creation. He raised a bum brat purposely, to prevent him from stealing his shine. It’s another reason he’s happy to see Harry far away. Harry is the true rockstar of that trio. And the he married a beauty queen rockstar who can’t help but shine.
One Chuck dies Shutter Island is left with a lazy fool, obsessed the upstaging his younger brother and cheating on his wife (allegedly.)
If this was Harry, Richard Eden would be saying that he and Meghan are separated and that he’s a hypocrite for hunting boar when he’s supposed to be a conservationist.
They would be writing about all that printing stories saying their marriage was over and obviously a hunting trip meant Prince Harry missed Britain 🇬🇧 just like they have been doing for the past five years since they left.
Kate looked desolate during the journey home after the Emir event: just overwhelmed and tired during a phased return to work event that went on too long ? Is either of them okay because it doesn’t look like a devoted husband reassuring his fragile wife that he was proud of her?
Some of the deranger snd KP fan accounts were actually mad at Eden for dropping this bit of news. I wonder who was on the guest list of the hunting party, what with it being the largest hunting estate in Europe, plenty of room for guests. So they constantly track the Sussexes in the most intrusive way, both in Montecito and when they travel together or separately, but the same royal press keeps very quiet about William’s movements, even though he’s a heartbeat away from the throne. It was on a hunting trip that King Juan Carlos was busted with one of his mistresses and of course King Frederik met his paramour on a hunting trip. Just saying.
And don’t forget the Tampons who met hunting some say as soon as Charles came back from the honeymoon. Not five years into the marriage.
These rich toff hunting trips are just an excuse to have extramarital affairs. There are always lots of suitable women floating around looking for an “in” (Kings Juan Carlos and Frederik are perfect examples) and most of the time everyone’s lips are sealed — a kind of “code of honour” to always protect the royals.
Sounds like William is having a weekend like the one he had in Verbier with his boys. (It’s probably why the Wales fans are upset). God help him if TMZ gets a whiff of this and gets photos of him doing more than dad dancing with randoms. TMZ knows these kinds of photos are money so they won’t defer to the Crown. If Kate made a deal to keep quiet about Dec 28 2023, in exchange for William having his side piece(s), this is a deal that will blow up on her.
It’s always projection example #5,246. Remember how royal media swore up and down Harry was doing a boys-only hiking trip for his 40th birthday? There was never any evidence or confirmation, it seemed to be spun up out of the blue. It wasn’t even necessarily a negative story, rather benign, but they weirdly insisted on repeating that narrative endlessly. It was all very suspicious. Mystery solved: they were deflecting from William’s recreational trips to get away from his wife and duties. And this time, Wils was publicly spotted, so the media had to report it.
I’ve read about these” hunting” trips more than a few times now. It seems to be boars and barbies thing, a royals, aristos and mistresses week-end. Like his father, William won’t want to be the only Prince of Wales without mistresses (not plural). It’s a rite of passage. These hunting week-ends would make great tabloid fodder, but I guess royal reporters can’t bite the hands that feed them.
@TAMSIN the royals aren’t feeding the rota much at this point. Not even gruel. 😬
This is not a professional separation, this is a REAL separation.