bitchy | Surprise, Prince William & Kate recently had another ski holiday in Courchevel

Reportedly, the Prince and Princess of Wales started 2025 with a ski holiday. Kate and the children were seen on vacation in Courchevel with James Middleton in late December, and there was every reason to believe they were there through New Year’s. In February, it was time for another vacation for the Wales fam, this time to Mustique. They were so desperate for a holiday, William and Kate decided to completely skip the BAFTAs (William is BAFTA president). Well, Kate has been MIA since St. Patrick’s Day and William had been missing for two weeks before he turned up in Paris last night. We obviously assumed that they were on vacation again. Turns out we were right!

Paris Match published exclusive photos of William and Kate’s latest holiday at a borrowed ski chalet in Courchevel – you can see the photos here. Paris Match dated them – there are pics from April 2nd (William and Kate on a chalet balcony) and April 3 (William, Kate, the kids and a nanny, with William holding a bottle of wine). Here’s some coverage from Paris Match:

For the past fifteen years, they have been discreetly visiting the most exclusive French resort, where they love to come and recharge as a family. Far from health concerns, the royal family is out on the carefree slopes.

The Windsors’ snowman didn’t last long with the temperatures of the last days which climbed above 10°C — and felt closer to 20°C under the warmth of the sun. The children had built it at the entrance of a discreet chalet, owned by close friends of the family, at the edge of one of the resort’s forests. Recently skied by William and Kate — with the Princess of Wales reportedly going “full speed ahead”— the green slope running alongside this peaceful haven has now turned to mud.

“That was my last slope,” sighed one of the few remaining skiers still venturing along these remote trails, unfastening his bindings just a few meters from the ski lift once used by the royals to access the rest of the Three Valleys — the largest ski area in the world.

The royal couple seized the end of the season to enjoy a low-key family retreat, far from the glitz of Courchevel. “We knew they were here,” a technician revealed, “but only a few of us actually saw them — I don’t know more than that,” he added cautiously, worried he might have already said too much. Indeed, whenever they visit — like in January, when they stayed with Kate’s brother, James Middleton —their presence is carefully kept under wraps. Their escort is reduced to the minimum. They are secured by just a few guards. And neighbors are tight-lipped.

According to several sources, no slopes were closed during their stay. “In the past, high-profile guests — monarchs or their heirs —would request to privatize part of the resort,” said a longtime resident who worked for over thirty years at Le Chabichou, a gourmet restaurant at the foot of the slopes.

“George is getting pretty good,” noted an attentive observer. “He’s the only one able to keep up with his father without an instructor.” The two younger ones — “at an average level” — were always accompanied by a private ski instructor. Although the family came to the mountains to spend time together, it was rare to see them all skiing the same slope. Kate would stay with the children while William often went off on his own. He was spotted on the Chapelets lift — one of the most remote in the resort — eyes fixed on his phone, seemingly preoccupied. Every day, he returned early from the slopes. A future King of England — the next heir to the throne — is never truly off-duty, especially following King Charles III’s brief hospitalization, just before their trip to the Alps.

[From Paris Match]

The magazine also says that William and Kate are regulars at a couple of the local restaurants, and they always pay by credit card and leave a tip. I would imagine that they slip away to this borrowed chalet more often than most people know. I also wonder what changed recently, that we’re now hearing about their visits and Paris Match got close enough to take photos of them on the balconies. I imagine there will be a reaction from Kensington Palace about the photos, especially if the story gets picked up widely in the British media. I mean… third vacation of the year and it’s early April. This too is part of the arrangement worked out by the Windsor and Middletons last year, I suspect. “More vacations, more skiing, more trips to Mustique.”

🚨 À la une de 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 cette semaine !

📌 Exclusif : Kate et William en vacances secrètes à Courchevel.
📌 Melanie Hamrick et Mick Jagger : 44 ans d’écart les séparent.

Disponible 👉
Jeudi chez votre marchand de presse. pic.twitter.com/jj6M0q6S7f

— Paris Match (@ParisMatch) April 9, 2025

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.