William and Kate’s Secret Post-Wedding Escape Revealed — After All These Years
A new book claims the couple quietly escaped to an unlikely location before heading to the Seychelles.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in April 2011 was followed closely around the world, and their honeymoon in the Seychelles quickly became common public knowledge. But according to a new book, that was not the couple’s only post-wedding getaway. Before flying overseas, William and Middleton took a short and entirely secret honeymoon trip that remained unknown for years.
The previously unreported detail is revealed by royal author and journalist Robert Jobson in his book The Windsor Legacy, which traces the modern history of the royal family from King George VI to the present day. In the book, Jobson explains that the newly married then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge quietly travelled to Wales immediately after their wedding.
According to Jobson, on April 30, 2011 — the day after they married at Westminster Abbey — William and Middleton flew to Llwynywermod, King Charles’s private Welsh retreat in Carmarthenshire. The countryside estate, located near the Brecon Beacons National Park, offered the couple a few days of privacy away from the intense attention surrounding their wedding. “The newlyweds flew off for a honeymoon at Charles’s Welsh retreat, Llwynywermod,” Jobson writes. He adds that the couple enjoyed “a blissful few days” there before beginning the next part of their honeymoon.
What makes the trip notable is that it remained completely undiscovered at the time. Citing a senior royal source, Jobson wrote in his book, “It was made even better that their secret escape and its location were never discovered or written about by the press.” After their quiet break in Wales, William and Middleton flew to the Seychelles for the main part of their honeymoon. That trip, unlike the Welsh stay, soon became public. Reports at the time said the couple spent around two weeks in a private villa on the North Island, a secluded and exclusive destination in the Indian Ocean.
While the Seychelles honeymoon was widely reported, the Welsh getaway remained unknown until now. Llwynywermod is a restored 18th-century farmhouse set on 192 acres of land, and was long used by Charles and Queen Camilla as a private retreat. The estate is part of the Duchy of Cornwall and now falls under William’s ownership as Prince of Wales. However, Palace sources have previously said William is unlikely to use the property himself after Charles gave up the lease in 2023.
That was not the only private trip they took. Known for keeping their holidays under the radar, William and Middleton tend to avoid drawing attention but often seek private family time. While they were seen spending their traditional summer break in Scotland with the rest of the royal family, earlier in July, the Wales family is said to have enjoyed another discreet holiday, one aboard a luxury superyacht sailing around the coast of Kefalonia, a Greek island. The trip was reportedly planned with the same focus on privacy, giving the couple and their children a few quiet days away from public attention. Kefalonia, often dubbed the 'Saint-Tropez of Greece,' is known for attracting wealthy and high-profile visitors while still offering seclusion.
