Queen Camilla sparks controversy over Greek holidays. Public Domain
The Greek holidays of members of the British and Dutch royal families has sparked controversy in their respective countries.
Queen Camilla enjoyed a luxury holiday around Greece on a $40 million superyacht owned by a billionaire donor of the Conservative party. The Daily Mirror says with the Royal Family meant to be strictly apolitical, Camilla being spotted on a Conservative billionaire donor’s boat will be seen by many as sending out the wrong message.
Camilla was seen on Syrian-Saudi Wafic Said’s £30million boat Zenobia in a bay off the coast of Greece this week. Credit: Daily Mirror/X
While there is no suggestion that the King’s 78-year-old wife has done anything wrong, accepting hospitality from someone so influential in the world of politics is not a good look. It also comes at a time when millions of ordinary Brits are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis – and King Charles has spoken about cutting back on royal extravagance.
Last month, Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly sailed across Greece in a secret vacation on board a superyacht. According to the Daily Mail, stories began popping up in Greek media around July 19 that the Prince and Princess of Wales were “enjoying the largesse of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a prominent member of the UAE royal family.”
The outlet also notes that the story of Will and Kate’s trip was “ignored by the British media” but picked up around the world, with locals and eyewitnesses claiming they were seen.
Dutch royals criticized for extended Greek holidays
The Dutch royal family is once again facing public scrutiny, this time for spending an extended eight-week summer holiday at their luxury villa in Greece. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have been vacationing at their property in Kranidi, a seaside town in the Peloponnese, prompting questions from the Dutch press and public alike about their absence from the Netherlands.
Their decision to spend the summer abroad isn’t new. The controversy dates back over a decade, when the royal couple sold their vacation home in Mozambique and purchased the Greek estate, reportedly worth $5.8 million, in 2012. Since then, nearly every trip to Greece has stirred some degree of backlash.