How Prince William and Kate’s trip to Wales during Queen’s Platinum Jubilee could bring back painful memories for the Duchess

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lived in Wales for two years shortly after the birth of their first child, Prince George

William and Kate’s Wales trip during Platinum Jubilee could bring back painful memories for the Duchess
(Image credit: Getty)

Prince William and Kate Middleton will travel to their former residence of Wales during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. 


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit their former home of Wales during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend, palace officials have confirmed. 

The royal couple has been tasked with leading the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty's reign next month, in light of news that the 96-year-old will only be attending selective events over the four-day-long bash. Princess Anne will also make a border crossing during the Jubilee to visit Scotland, while Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex are bound for Northern Ireland. 

Kate and Will's assignment to Wales, of which details have yet to be announced, shouldn't come as any surprise to the regal duo. The Duke and Duchess moved to the Welsh island of Anglesey shortly after the birth of their first child, Prince George, in 2011, and remained there until their return to Kensington Palace in London two years later. At the time, William was stationed as a pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force, while Kate was working remotely for her parents' company, Party Pieces. 

While Anglesey has long been renowned for its beautiful scenery and historic sites, the couple's experience of the remote island was far from idyllic. Kate has since admitted to feeling lonely during this chapter of her life, which involved a lot of lonely hours at the couple's rural farmhouse, Bodorgan Hall. 

Kate and Will

Kate Middleton and Prince William in Wales in 2013 

(Image credit: Getty)

"I’d just had George—William was still working with search and rescue—and we came up here and I had a tiny, tiny baby in the middle of Anglesey. It was so isolated, so cut off. I didn’t have any family around, and he was doing night shifts," she revealed during a trip to a family center in Cardiff in 2020. 

These sentiments echo those shared by the Duchess three years prior, during an engagement at the Global Academy in support of the Cambridges' mental health initiative, Heads Together. Speaking with two mothers who had connected through mutual loneliness at the event, Kate expressed her understanding of the social isolation of motherhood. 

"Yes, it is lonely at times and you do feel quite isolated but actually so many other mothers are going through exactly what you are going through," she said. "It is being brave enough, like you obviously were, to reach out to those around you."

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.

Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.