The Cambridges' Cornwall Getaway and Kate's Chic Travel Style

On July 11, the Cambridges were videoed boarding their helicopter at Kensington Palace. Weighed down with luggage but with a spring in their steps, they looked decidedly like a family headed on holiday. Kate was dressed in a white sundress and wearing the L.K. Bennett straw hat she debuted at Wimbledon.

Fan-speculation on the family’s ultimate destination ranged from Mustique to Balmoral. It is a little early in the summer for their annual trip to Balmoral, but the Cambridges have gone to Mustique in July in years past—despite the fact it is the off season. In the last two years—2020 and 2021—the Cambridges avoided pandemic restrictions and holidayed in Cornwall on the island of Tresco.

I thought after two years of COVID the family would be anxious for Mustique, but it looks like Tresco was their final destination after all. One reader who was holidaying there last week messaged me last Sunday to alert me. She told me she saw the Cambridges in helicopters on the tarmac at the airport and after that around the island. Other locals have confirmed.

In years past, the Cambridges have stayed at Dolphin House, a spacious cottage on the coast. The rental is described:

Dolphin House is a large old granite rectory, with spectacular views towards Round Island Lighthouse, set in large private walled garden.

Downstairs, a grand dining room, high-ceilinged living room and a cook’s kitchen combine to provide ample leisure space. The staircase ascends past a series of bedrooms including a little attic room, many enjoying views across Tresco’s rolling landscape and out to the sea.

The property is set amongst a walled garden - a veritable kempt jungle of texture and colour, begging for games of hide & seek or sunlit afternoons simply lazing.

Amenities include access to Tresco Island Spa and nearby tennis courts as well as golf. Dolphin House is owned and rented by the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Duchy of Cornwall is, of course, one of the two remaining royal duchies. Historically, duchies were the land/estate or territory of a duke (or a duchess). Today the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall provide income to the Queen and the Prince of Wales, respectively.

The Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337 by Edward III for his eldest son, the Prince of Wales. The duchy automatically passes to the eldest son of the king, and supports him financially. Charles is the current Duke of Cornwall, although he uses the title Prince of Wales, which is a senior title. Because Camilla wanted to give wide berth to the memory of Princess Diana, she uses the title Duchess of Cornwall, rather than Princess of Wales. When the Queen dies, Charles will become king and the Duchy of Cornwall will pass to Prince William.

The Duchy of Lancaster is the only other extant royal duchy. In the 14th century it was the duchy of Henry of Grosmont, the most powerful peer in England. Blanche of Lancaster was Henry’s only surviving child and therefore the heiress of the duchy. She married John of Gaunt, the fourth son of King Edward III. Blanche’s Lancaster duchy combined with John of Gaunt’s own properties made John the most powerful man in England after the king. Upon John’s death in 1399, his substantial wealth, including the Duchy of Lancaster, passed to his eldest son—Henry Bolingbroke.

Henry Bolingbroke was exiled from England by his first cousin, Richard II. When John of Gaunt died early in 1399, Richard moved to confiscate the Duchy of Lancaster. Henry returned to England and led a rebellion against Richard, ultimately usurping the throne. He was crowned Henry IV in September of that same year. When he became king, his property, including the Duchy of Lancaster, merged with the Crown. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth II is the current Duke of Lancaster. The duchy continues to provide her income.

For those of you who have been following From Berkshire to Buckingham for the last decade, you probably know that this 14th century story of John of Gaunt, Blanche and the Duchy of Lancaster, and Katherine Swynford (John’s third wife) is dramatized in the historical romance book Katherine by Anya Seton. If you are looking for a late summer romance read with excellent historical details, I can’t recommend the book enough.

Back to our modern royals… There are a variety of reasons the Cambridges returned to Tresco rather than jetting to Mustique or some other locale, and the first and simplest one is probably that they really love it there.