Inside Princess Kate & Prince William’s Secret Caribbean Vacation: ‘Booze, Dancing & No Kids!’

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Princess Kate marked St. Patrick’s Day with a trip to Wellington Barracks in London, where, as the honorary colonel of the Irish Guard, she walked in the annual parade before heading to the dining hall to sip a celebratory Guinness. Chatting with soldiers and their family members, the 43-year-old royal revealed that she and husband Prince William hope to take their three children on a trip to Australia, where their eldest, Prince George, now 11, spent time as a baby. “I would like to go back there with them now,” said Kate. “It’s finding time to do that. But I love to travel.”

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Little did anyone know she’d just recently returned from a hush- hush vacation with William, 42, and the kids to Mustique, the private Caribbean island that’s long served as a playground for British royals and the global elite. While staying at the sprawling villa Les Jolies Eaux — with Kate’s mom, Carole Middleton, in tow to watch George as well as Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — the Prince and Princess of Wales were able to sneak away for some much-needed couples’ time.

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The pair, wed since 2011, took romantic walks on the beach and hit up their favorite local hangouts, including the low-key Basil’s Bar, where they drank and danced the night away. “It seemed like they were enjoying a second honey- moon,” a longtime waiter at the establishment tells Star. “That’s how happy they looked.”

IDYLLIC ESCAPE

If anyone deserves a break, it’s Kate and William. It’s been one year since the princess announced she’d been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January 2024. In a touching video montage posted to social media in September, the future queen shared that she’d completed her chemotherapy treatment and was “cancer free,” in remission and focused on her recovery. Lately, she’s been gradually ramping up her royal duties, but before she returns to a full-time schedule, the couple wanted a moment to reset. As a source tells Star, “It was crucial that William and Kate go away to reconnect and give their relationship the attention it needs.”

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William’s been especially on edge dealing with Kate’s illness as well as the declining health of his father, King Charles III, 76, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer last February. “William is good at masking it in public, but he’s been so stressed out,” says the source of the future king. (In a rare moment of candor, he called 2024 “brutal.”) Still reeling from the terror of almost losing his wife of nearly 14 years, he’s vowed to make every moment count. Adds the source, “This family time was that much more special because of everything William and Kate have been through.”

RECONNECT, THEN REALITY

As a family, the couple and their kids hunted for seashells on the beach and had barbecues and played board games. But William and Kate prioritized alone time, enjoying moonlit nights and music-filled island adventures while Kate’s mom took on baby- sitting duties. “Carole was there with the kids, so Kate and William could sneak away,” says the island insider. “They felt so spoiled,” adds the source.

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They savored every minute before returning home to an uncertain future. While Charles appeared in great spirits during a March 11 visit to the Royal College of Nursing in London — a clip of him administering CPR to a dummy went viral — his health woes weigh heavily on William and Kate. “It’s a dark cloud hanging over them,” says the source. “Who knows when they’ll have the opportunity to take another trip to paradise.”