On Sunday, royalists were surprised to see Prince William driving his wife to church in Scotland, on the Balmoral estate. William and Kate already took their kids to Balmoral in August, before the kids’ school began, and it’s widely believed that the Wales family prefers to keep their trips to Balmoral relatively brief, usually less than a week, just enough time to put in an appearance and check that box. So why did Will and Kate go back to Balmoral in September, when their kids’ school has already started? Well, apparently, it was a rare kids-free weekend for them. They left their kids with the Middletons.
Prince William and Kate Middleton enjoyed a private trip to Balmoral this weekend, enjoying some downtime without their three children. William and Princess Kate were photographed on their way to church on Sunday, where they joined King Charles and Queen Camilla for the weekly service.
William drove his wife to Crathie Kirk and Kate, who has not been photographed since announcing that she has completed her course of preventative chemotherapy, looked radiant in a feathered hat and a pair of Cassandra Goad gold earrings.
Sources in Scotland said that Kate, who featured in the Court Circular last week for the first time this year, looked remarkably well and that Charles was on “fighting form.”
“The Prince and Princess had a private weekend and appeared to be on good form,” said the source. “The King was also in very good spirits.”
Palace sources would not comment because the trip was private, however, it is believed to be the first solo trip William and Catherine have made to Scotland without their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, for some time.
Every year, the family spends a long weekend at Balmoral at the end of August. The late Queen began the tradition and loved to host her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the castle, a tradition King Charles has continued. This weekend, it was just William and Kate who traveled to Aberdeenshire for the short break. According to the Daily Mail, the couple’s three children stayed in Berkshire with Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.
This pinged my radar, honestly. Something’s up. Something’s happening. As I said, historically, William and Kate don’t hang around Balmoral for very long. My suspicion is that they were called up to Balmoral for a specific reason by King Charles. A special meeting, perhaps? Over the summer, there were several reports about a planned “Balmoral summit” in which they would discuss their most pressing issue: what to do about the Sussexes. Who knows though – maybe this had nothing to do with the Sussexes and everything to do with Will and Kate’s marriage and work plans. It’s interesting though.
The photos in this post are from last year – they made a day-trip to Scotland to do some events together.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.