Inside extravagant royal holiday homes – from Kate and Wills’ £27k-a-week getaway to King of Spain’s A-list paradise
HAVE you ever wanted to stay in a holiday home fit for a king?
Well, these royals all do so regularly!
While the late Queen famously loved Balmoral in Scotland, and often holidayed there, many of the other European royal families have some luxurious holiday homes around the world.
From the Spanish royal family’s palace in Majorca to the Mustique villa frequented by the Prince and Princess of Wales, we take you inside some of the most luxurious holiday homes in the world…
Marivent Palace, Mallorca
King Felipe of Spain has been spending his summers at Marivent Palace since he was young.
Situated in Palma, Majorca, the 20th century palace is spread over a whopping 33,000 acres of gardens and pine groves.
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The Spanish royal family have been heading to the stunning palazzo since the early 1970s, when Felipe’s father Carlos was given it as a gift by the local government.
And it’s been visited by many famous guests, including Barack Obama and his family, as well as Princess Diana and Princes William and Harry in the 1990s.
Marivent Palace is also the favourite palace of Queen Sofía of Greece and Denmark – and it’s where she lives most of the year.
William and Kate’s Mustique villa
Although it’s not strictly owned by Prince William and Princess Kate, the pair are known to regularly holiday at Villa Antilles in the Caribbean island of Mustique.
Costing a whopping £27,000 a week, the five-bedroom abode is more than big enough for William, Kate and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, to stay.
The huge home, owned by William’s friend Andrew Dunn, boasts a 60ft infinity pool, chef, butler and housekeeper.
It also has stunning sea views out to the neighbouring islands of Bequia and Saint Vincent.
Solliden Palace, Borgholm
While many royals venture to other parts of the world for their holidays, the Swedish royal family spend their summers at home, with Solliden Palace on the southern island of Öland being their go-to holiday home.
Inspired by Villa San Michele on the Italian island of Capri, it houses statues and tiles sourced directly from Italy.
The palace was first built by Sweden’s Queen Victoria in 1906, with the hope that the warmer weather might help her ill health.
And now, having been passed down through generations, it’s owned by King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The king has opened the gardens to the public, and Swedes gather here yearly for the celebration of his daughter Crown Princess Victoria’s birthday, known as Victoriadagen.
Château de Cayx, France
The Cayx Palace, located in the wine district of Cahors in southern France, is where the Danish royal family spend their summers.
The beautiful château and vineyard was originally bought by Queen Margrethe and her French husband, the late Prince Henrik, in 1974, due to his family’s historic connection to the property – and it’s been in the family ever since.
Over the years, the royal couple have spent time recultivating the land and renovating the property extensively, with Henrik becoming a dab-hand at wine-making.
The residence has now become a relaxed setting for reunions of the entire Danish Royal Family and their French relatives, and is often where they mark big occasions, like Henrik’s 80th birthday and Margrethe’s grandson Prince Felix’s recent 20th birthday.
The property is not open to the public, but a guided tour of the gardens is available during the summer, and the château still produces wine.
Meghan and Harry’s Ibiza retreat
Ibiza is said to be a favourite destination of Meghan Markle’s, having visited the Spanish island with a close friend in 2016.
And, in 2019, as she celebrated her 38th birthday, she got to go there with Prince Harry, as well as their son Archie – although this time in a luxury villa that cost $196,000 (£173,048) a week.
The Sa Calma villa on the exclusive Vista Alegre estate is a seven-bedroom property, boasting a 50-metre infinity pool and also comes fully staffed with a house manager, waitress, live-in caretakers and housekeepers.
But, not content with all that staff, Prince Harry and Meghan flew in their own private chef too.
Yoga instructors and personal trainers are also available on request, as well as butlers, beauticians, bartenders and masseurs.
Dutch royal family’s villa in Kranidi, Greece
In 2012, before he was the Dutch king, King Willem-Alexander bought a stunning luxury villa in the Greek Peloponnese for €4.5million euros (£3.9million).
Located west of the town of Kranidi, it boasts a swimming pool, as well as a private marina and private stretch of beach.
One of the neighbours reportedly includes Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In 2020, the Dutch royal family were forced to cut short a holiday at the villa, when there was a backlash about them staying there amid Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Bygdøy Royal Farm, Oslo
Owned by the Norwegian royal family since 1305, Bygdøy Royal Farm is the oldest property belonging to royalty in the world.
Designed in the Baroque style, the organic working farm has a lot of livestock, including over 60 cows.
It became a popular summer retreat for the family during King Haakon VII’s reign from 1905 to 1957, and was passed down to his son King Olav V.
However, following his death in 1991, the farm house went unused for over 15 years.
But in 2007, the current monarch King Harald and his wife Queen Sonja began to holiday regularly on the farm again, after some renovations.
Meghan and Harry’s Canada retreat
Meghan and Harry saw in 2020 with Archie, along with Meghan’s mum Doria, at a £10million waterfront mansion in Canada, belonging to a Russian oligarch.
Built in the late 2000s, the estate – sitting on acres and acres of manicured grounds – has been described by a previous visitor as “a sanctuary” rather than simply as a home.
Despite being relatively new, there is a 17th century French fireplace imported specially from Europe.
The rooms of the main house alone cover more than 10,000 sq ft, while the guest cottage in the grounds – where Harry and Meghan’s private security stayed – is another 2,000 sq ft of indoor space.
Plus, there is also a luxury summer house on the grounds.
As well as many opulent bedrooms, multiple bathrooms and a formal dining room, the mansion has everything from a gourmet kitchen fitted with a top-of-the-range pizza oven, to a games room with wet bar, a media room and even a wine-tasting room.
The two-storey living room has spectacular sunset views looking across a magnificent stretch of water.
Llwynywermod in Llandovery, Wales
When he was the Prince of Wales, King Charles bought this 192-acre property on the edge of the Brecon Beacons for £1.2million in 2007.
His Royal Highness came here to “contemplate the future of the Royal Family” following the death of his father Philip in April last year.
And he and Queen Consort Camilla stay here on their annual summer tour of Wales.
Llwynywermod Estate is made up of a main farmhouse, three cottages and a Grade II-listed barn in the rural retreat near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire.
When it’s not occupied by royals, holidaymakers can stay in two of the cottages, one which sleeps six people and the other four.
The price for a week in the “charming barn conversion” across the courtyard from the King’s home is £995 in low season.
Belgian royal family’s villa in France
Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde had been holidaying in a rented holiday home on the French island of Île d’Yeu for years.
By 2019, they’d fallen in love with the island, thanks to its kite-surfing, cycling, shopping and hiking, as well as their relative anonymity there.
So much so, that they purchased a property in the area.
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But it’s not been as plain-sailing for the royals as they might’ve hoped, as they’ve received backlash from locals.
After asking for planning permission to extend the modest-sized villa to accommodate their security staff, many protested against them building over the island’s natural beauty.