Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, are “raising eyebrows” with the amount of time they have had off, a royal commentator has said.
The couple “blocked off” the summer in order to prioritise spending time with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louise.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have reportedly spent time at their Norfolk bolthole on the Sandringham Estate, Anmer Hall, on the Caribbean island of Mustique and Balmoral Castle in Scotland with their children this holiday season.
A royal source told OK! Magazine last month: “William and Kate have made it very clear that their children are their priority this summer holiday. They have blocked off much of the summer so that they can spend time with the children in the UK.”
But the length of time the pair have taken off has not gone unnoticed by members of the royal household, Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer has said, warning that it could well become an “issue” for the pair.
Last year, Princess Anne — frequently dubbed the hardest-working royal — carried out 214 engagements.
Her older brother came in close second, wracking up a total of 181 engagements in 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh took the third and fourth places on the list with 143 and 138 royal engagements in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales did 126 and Kate trailed behind, undertaking 90 royal engagements, coming in ninth place out of the working royals.
Although the couple have not done as many engagements as others, the choice is seen as understandable, given what William experienced growing up.
Mr Palmer continued: “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.”
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine praised William for being “committed” to his royal role while also prioritising his family.
She said: “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.
“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.”
William has previously commented on his father’s “workaholic” nature, telling a BBC documentary, Prince, Son and Heir — Charles at 70, released in 2018, that he would like to spend more “family time” with the monarch.
The couple are set to undertake a royal engagement on the anniversary of the late Queen’s death, September 8. It is anticipated that Charles and Queen Camilla will spend the day in private at Balmoral Castle, where the former monarch died.
