Kate and William’s half-term holiday plans from cycling and baking to Masterchef comp

When Prince William and Princess Kate moved their young family from Kensington Palace to Windsor last month and enrolled them into a new school, little did they know of the family heartache and turmoil that was just around the corner.

Just as they were starting to adapt to their new surroundings, home and routine, the family were devastated by the death of their beloved grandmother and great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

So it’s understandable, says royal correspondent Jennie Bond, that the Wales’s are having a much-needed break over half term, where they will take comfort from simply being together.

She says Kate, 40, will be aiming to provide stability and normality for both William, also 40, and their children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, during this time.

“Catherine will just try to make it as normal as possible,” Jennie told OK!. “After their great-granny’s passing, William and Catherine will try to move things on as quickly as possible and not dwell too much on the sadness of the last couple of months.

"Even though William will undoubtedly have moments where he feels very sad, he will try to shield the children from it.”

Following the Queen’s death on 8 September – the same day the children started their new school, Lambrook near Ascot – the new Prince and Princess of Wales have completed a series of engagements including trips to Wales and Northern Ireland.

They have also visited several charities and patronages that are close to their hearts.

And Jennie said no one can “begrudge” the hardworking royals some precious family time together. “It’s been a brutal [work] schedule for William and Catherine and they’ve got a very young family,” she added.

“I think the work-life balance must have been difficult these past few weeks and, let’s face it, it’s not going to get any easier with their new responsibilities.”

Jennie believes the family will spend much of their two-week break at Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor estate, getting outdoors, exploring nature, and also crafting and baking.

“It’s a strong bet that they’re enjoying being in Windsor and settling down after all that has happened,” Jennie continued.

“I can imagine they’re getting to know their new surroundings and the children will be exploring the grounds there. They may also be taking this time to do any personalising they want to do in their home, making it how they want.

“They will be focusing on family time and will be enjoying the outdoor pursuits they love like cycling, horse riding, walks, taking the dog out and barbecues – enjoying autumn and recharging their batteries after a very difficult first half-term for the children.”

And according to the author of several royal books, including Reporting Royalty: Behind the Scenes With The BBC’s Royal Correspondent, a spot of bad weather won’t put a dampener on their plans.

“Probably if it’s raining they might play some games and they’re very keen on cooking and baking,” said Jennie. “The school they’re at has all sorts of hobbies and crafts so they might be learning one or two of them.

"It has things like ‘mini MasterChef’, skiing and trampolining and it has chickens and pigs. So for half term they could have picked up new ideas from school for what they want to do, like doing ‘mini Masterchef’ at home.

"Catherine is also very keen on her photography and they do film-making at the school so maybe George has expressed an interest in that and has started to learn."

While Jennie says the Wales’s half-term break won’t be “anything lavish because of the cost of living crisis we’re in” she says she wouldn’t be surprised if the family made a staycation trip to their former Norkfolk pile Anmner Hall, or a trip to the Scilly isles.

The family spent two weeks in Tresco over the summer, a place they can fully relax, and they also have strong ties to Anmer Hall, a home that was gifted to them by the Queen when they got married in 2011.

“Anmer Hall is where they have really put their roots and they love to be.” Jennie says. “They feel very relaxed there, so I could imagine them having a real staycation there. It’s also a rather nice time of year to go to Tresco and they do love it there. They seem to really enjoy the privacy they have there, for instance, there are no cars.

"I think they stay in a rectory which has walled gardens and a huge amount of privacy and Tresco out of season only has a couple of hundred population so they can enjoy all the outdoor pursuits they love like, running around and taking the dog out.

"William went to Tresco as a boy with his mum so that brings back lots of memories.”

It’s thought that Kate and William made the move to Windsor to be closer to his grandmother, but also Kate’s family, namely her parents Carol and Michael, and younger sister Pippa who lives with her children and husband James Matthews not far from Adelaide Cottage.

And Jennie thinks the Wales’s will undoubtedly pay the Middleton family home in Bucklebury in Berkshire a visit where the young royals can spend time with their cousins, their Aunt Pippa’s children, Arthur, four, Grace, one, and her new daughter who was born in June.

“That’s another big bubble of love for them,” Jennie tells us. “Now they’re at Windsor they’re only 40 minutes away so they can pop there for lunch or a cup of tea. They’re bound to be doing crafts and pumpkin picking. Halloween is a big thing now so I’m sure they’ll be going to a pumpkin picking farm and carving them out.

“They might spend Halloween with the Middletons or have a Halloween party. I think Catherine will just try to immerse them in the normality that she has created, the happy, relaxed, family atmosphere.”

The big move to Windsor meant moving Prince George and Prince Charlotte out of the their school to a new setting, something that was likely to be a difficult decision for the couple.

However, for Kate, family is everything, and being surrounded by loved ones is something that is important to her, especially while raising a young family.

She said last year, “Spending quality time together is such an important aspect of family life and for me, as a mother, it is the simple family moments like playing outside together that I cherish,”

Despite Kate and William’s effort to make the transition to Windsor smooth running, the Queen’s death was unexpected, and triggered an “emotional” and “difficult” period for the family.

“Starting a new school is always a big thing to handle and then the day after they started the term The Queen, their great-granny, died,” Jennie explains. “That must have been pretty traumatic for them and however much William and Catherine wanted them to be normal kids and shield them from it all, obviously they could not do that.”

She added, “I think the family must have been absolutely more than ready for a relaxing half-term break. They have two weeks off altogether so they have plenty of time to spend in the various options they have.”

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