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Prince William and Kate Middleton caught up in the summer fever following sightings of the royal lovebirds on vacation on an Island in Greece. The Prince and Princess of Wales stirred the dust earlier this month after various fan reports of them vacationing on an Island in Greece flooded the internet. Many locals attested to seeing the royal couple and their kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, arrive in Kefalonia in a private Learjet. The majority of these fan sightings also revealed that the Wales had Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, accompany them on the vacation.
A fan account suggested the family arrived at the Kefalonia airport in the Learjet on July 16 and boarded an awaiting luxury yacht, through which they sailed off to their secret vacation spot. Speculations also identified the vessel in question as the Opera, belonging to Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi.
Prince William and Kate Middleton Reportedly Vacation in Greece
Aside from photos showcasing the yacht in question docked at the Ionian Island of Kefalonia, and accounts from residents who saw the entourage pass by without being able to identify specific faces, and even names of restaurants they supposedly visited, no confirmation of the royals’ presence on the Island was given, further shrouding the secret getaway in mystery. After weeks of speculations, the cat is finally out of the bag, with workers and knowledgeable locals revealing details of the most under-the-radar Summer vacation.
Perhaps one of the most detailed accounts yet, 64-year-old Penelope Likoudi, a resident of the beautiful village of Kioni on the neighbouring island of Ithaca, recounted her close-up glimpse at the dignified tourists on Tuesday, July 16. According to Daily Mail, the local confirmed seeing the British royals during her routine morning swim in the bay. She recalled seeing Kate Middleton in a black wraparound dress with her daughter Charlotte and son Louis aboard a superyacht from about 100ft away, but was too starstruck to say “hello.” An older woman, supposedly Carole Middleton, was also present in the vessel, with no signs of either William or George.
She returned to shore thereafter and took photos of the boat. Her photo evidence revealed the 164ft Almax, and not the Opera. True to her words, the renowned fuel-cell superyacht built by the Italian firm San Lorenzo, one of the first of its kind, sailed off to Kioni on Wednesday, per Maritime records. However, when the superyacht returned on Friday, it had a different entourage on board.
Tour Guides Confirm Identity of Royal Tourists
More informed locals have confirmed that while some privileged royals did hit the island on July 16, neither Prince William nor his family was part of the entourage. According to sources who spoke to the outlet, members of the Emirati royal families, most likely the Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi clan, and not Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal entourage, docked on the island on the said day for some much-needed family Summer vacation.
Locals revealed the Emiratis made their way to the roofless limestone Melissai Cave after touchdown, enjoying the privacy it offered on a propelled gondola. Backing this account, one gondolier revealed that the Arabs graced the caves during their Greek vacation, prompting them to shut down the tourist hotspot for a while to ensure their privacy. He revealed,
“It’s fake news. The Arab royals and their children came, and we closed the cave off for half an hour so they could have a private tour. But there was definitely no William and Kate.”
Restaurateurs also admitted to entertaining tourists from the Arab crew at their establishment, as against accounts from locals naming the Summer visitors as Kate and William.
Did Kate and William Visit Greece in July?
Despite this clarification, the mystery surrounding Kate Middleton and Prince William’s luxury vacation to Greece remains. This mostly arises from the almost-flawless account from Penelope Likoudi, a woman of high standing in the village.
The publication admittedly confirmed some details from her account from maritime records, including the Almax’s presence on the Island, posing the possibility that the British royals may have alighted secretly at a different location before the vessel’s return on Friday. Further complicating the mystery, other vessels which have been named in the whole Wales Summer vacation saga were spotted in the bay area within the same time frame, including the Norn, belonging to Microsoft mogul Charles Simonyi.
What, then, does that say about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Greece vacation? Did they visit? Did both the Windsors and the Emiratis hit the vacation hotspot simultaneously, each serving as a decoy for the other? Most importantly, why so much ado about a single summer vacation when all green protocols were duly observed? Unless the royals (be it the Windsors or the Emiratis) have something more damning to hide, the account from the gondoliers, the only group privy to get the closest to the royals on their Greek tour, seems far less complicated.
