Secrets at Sea: The Mystery of Kate and William’s Greek Holiday Finally Solved

For weeks, the sun-drenched island of Kefalonia buzzed with whispers. The locals, accustomed to the annual parade of billionaires’ yachts drifting along the Ionian horizon, thought they had seen it all. But this summer, a puzzle drifted into their waters—a vessel cloaked in secrecy, carrying none other than the Prince and Princess of Wales, their three young children, and a handful of close relatives.

Which yacht had lured Britain’s most famous family to Greece?

At first, the guesses came thick and fast. Some swore the royals had boarded a UAE-owned megayacht. Others pointed to the futuristic Almax, a £40 million eco-friendly marvel that boasted hydrogen fuel cells and cutting-edge design. A witness even claimed to have spotted Kate, radiant and relaxed, standing on deck. But when the Almax later reappeared with an entirely different party, that theory collapsed like a wave against the rocks.

And so the guessing game continued. Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian Islands, is a place where intrigue travels as fast as the sea breeze. To the locals, the presence of a royal family was no small matter. Where they stayed, how they travelled, what yacht they chose—it all became the subject of speculation and hushed debate.

Now, thanks to an investigation by the Mail on Sunday, the veil of mystery has finally been lifted. The answer, as it turns out, lies not in the futuristic but in the storied: the Waleses were guests aboard the Lady Beatrice, a 60-metre superyacht once belonging to the late Barclay twins, media moguls whose eccentricities became the stuff of legend.

The Legacy of Lady Beatrice

The Lady Beatrice is no ordinary vessel. Built to embody the Barclays’ particular brand of grandeur, it was named after their mother and decorated in a style that can only be described as aristocratic eccentricity. Pin-striped seating runs alongside faux Greek columns; the dining room ceilings shimmer with frescoes that nod to both Renaissance palaces and Riviera kitsch. To step aboard is to step into the Barclays’ peculiar vision of opulence—luxury with a wink, a yacht that carried not only wealth but whispers of family intrigue.

Purchased recently for around £20 million by financier Peter Dubens, the yacht has retained its aura of mystery. Dubens, who made his fortune through ventures ranging from colour-changing T-shirts in the 1980s to private equity investments in media firms, is a man who prefers the shadows. Chairman of the Time Out Group and founder of Oakley Capital, he has quietly built influence without the celebrity trappings that so often accompany great wealth.

By an odd twist of fate, his business interests touch the Waleses more directly than most realized. Two years ago, Oakley became a minority investor in Thomas’s Battersea—the London school where Prince George and Princess Charlotte began their education.

A Family Holiday Cloaked in Secrecy

The royal holiday began on July 21, when Prince William, Kate, their children, and members of the Middleton family boarded a private jet bound for Kefalonia. From there, they were whisked by limousine to a quiet marina. Waiting in the shadows was a tender boat, ready to ferry them to their floating sanctuary. Just before their arrival, the Lady Beatrice had discreetly switched off its tracking system—an old seafarer’s trick for those who prize privacy over spectacle.

“The children impressed with their politeness and patience during the procedures and inconveniences of the trip,” reported Kefalonia Press, offering a rare glimpse into the Wales children’s behavior away from the spotlight.

For several days, the yacht anchored in secluded bays, its presence marked only by the faint sound of laughter carried across the water. Prince George, ever curious, reportedly spent hours gazing at the seabed, begging the crew for snorkels so he could plunge beneath the waves. The royal security teams scouted Fiskardo—the island’s most picturesque village—but in the end, William and Kate chose discretion. A public stroll, they feared, might overwhelm their children.

Shadows of the Past, Serenity of the Present

The Lady Beatrice has seen far less tranquil times. During her 2022 divorce proceedings, Hiroko Barclay described bitter tensions between her late husband Sir Frederick and his twin brother Sir David, alleging that the brothers once came to blows on deck as they fought over the future of their empire. For the Barclays, the yacht was a stage of conflict as much as luxury.

For the Waleses, however, it was the opposite. Here, shielded from cameras and the endless gaze of public duty, the yacht became a cocoon for family. Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, joined them, as did other close relatives. Meals were shared in privacy, days were spent exploring hidden coves, and the only drama was the tug of children eager to dive back into the sea.

On July 26, the royals slipped away as quietly as they had arrived. Within days, William and Charlotte were spotted in Switzerland, cheering the Lionesses to victory in the Euro 2022 final—a reminder that the duties of monarchy never sleep for long.

The Meaning of Escape

In the end, the mystery of the yacht reveals something deeper about the modern monarchy. While the world speculated about which billionaire’s vessel they had borrowed, the truth was simpler: the Waleses sought not spectacle but sanctuary. By choosing the Lady Beatrice, a yacht rich in history and eccentricity but away from the glitter of the world’s flashiest megayachts, they embraced a kind of luxury that is quieter, more private, and deeply rooted in family.

For the people of Kefalonia, the mystery may be solved. But for the Waleses, the holiday was never about the yacht. It was about the rare gift of being together—out of reach, out of sight, and, for a fleeting moment, free.