The Duchess of Cambridge flies to the Caribbean on holiday

The Duchess of Cambridge has taken time out of her busy schedule to enjoy a winter holiday in the Caribbean with her family.

Kate flew first class on Thursday with her parents, Mike and Carole as well as her siblings Pippa and James.

The family were flown by Captain Ashley Birkbeck on a schedule British Airways flight from London Gatwick. The family flew into St Lucia and proceeded onto the private island of Mustique.

Kate and her family have flown on holiday with a number of Kate’s personal protection officers who are funded by the British taxpayer. Last month it was reported that Prince William and his wife had decided to cancel a skiing trip to relate to the economic downturn others are feeling however, the Duchess and her family have gone away to Mustique where an average holiday can cost up to $50,000.

Kate has made it clear that she is extremely close to her family and will no doubt make the most of her private time with them.  Whilst soaking up the sun on the exotic island the family will also hold an early birthday celebration for Carole who turns 57 at the end of the month.

Earlier this month William and his brother Harry also jetted off to Spain to spend the weekend hunting on the Duke of Westminster’s estate near Seville, Spain. The boys were joined by a security detail at a cost to the British taxpayer.

Mustique, which became well known as a holiday destination of Princess Margaret, has always been popular with William and Kate who have visited it several times.

The island is composed of seven valleys, each with a deserted white sand beach, fringed by palm and coconut trees surrounded by a series of coral reefs

Update 20/01/2012 at 10am: Clarence House have refused to comment about the private life of the Duchess of Cambridge despite British taxpayers footing the bill for security for the Duchess.

Chandni Tanna

twitter: IkonPictures

Prince Harry spotted at Cornish Country Pub

Prince Harry enjoyed a quiet evening with his military friends at a rural Cornish countryside pub on Tuesday evening.

Harry visited the Smugglers’ Den Inn, a 16^th century countryside pub in the heart of the north Cornish countryside tucked away in the picturesque hamlet of Trebellan.

The royal arrived at the pub around mid-evening and stayed away from the other guests in the pub.

Pub owner, Simon Hancock said: “We were thrilled to see him, he was with about half a dozen lads, they ordered some food and drinks and stayed for a couple of hours.

“It was a discreet visit, they sat away from everybody else, they didn’t have any special treatment, we wanted to be respectful of his private down time.”

Simon said: “Prince Harry was dressed down in jeans and a sweater, the group left after a few hours and split the bill, and they paid cash.”

The 17-year-old pub boasts a selection of traditional British pub classics which range from fish pie to Aberdeen Angus beef burgers. Prices for an evening meal range from anything from £2 to £22.

The third in line to the thrown was in the area on military training at Penhale Camp, near Holywell Bay, Newquay Cornwall.

You can visit the pub website at: http://www.thesmugglersden.co.uk/

By Chandni Tanna

twitter: IkonPictures

Kate hits the sales on the King's Road

Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge has not only proven she likes to shop on the high street but that she also likes a good bargain.

On Tuesday afternoon The Duchess of Cambridge shopped at Anonymous by Ross+Bute on the King’s Road in Chelsea where she purchased a jewel neck v-collar in slate colour which was in the sale down from £169 to £84.50.

Kate walked into the store at 5pm on her own without her personal protection officers and all in all she spent 20 minutes in the store browsing.

Store manager, Barbara Reily said: "There was only one person in the store at the time she visited, she walked into the store at 5pm, dressed down, her hair was up in a bun. She wore a black knee length fabric jacket with black tights and suede boots. She just approached me and said “hi”.

"She browsed the new spring/summer collection and pulled off a couple of items she wished to try on. She tried on a pink cardigan and suede boots. She finally tried on the jewel neck v-collar in slate."

"She mentioned how she wanted something warm."

According to Barbara, Kate tried on the X-small and small, and ended up leaving with the small size.

"As she paid for her item of clothing, she was interested in a clutch bag. But she decided not to get it in the end. She was very humble and down to earth, she initially was very hard to spot, she was really polite, well spoken and mentioned she would be coming back in the future," said Barbara.

Anonymous by Ross+Bute specialises in knitwear and the label is easily recognisable by its signature use of decorative lace trims and buttons.

The top will no doubt be an instant sell-out, the Kate effect has boosted sales for Burberry and high street clothing chain Reiss, Zara and LK Bennett.

By Chandni Tanna
twitter: IkonPictures