How the Royal Family's summer excursions to the Mediterranean have noticeably changed: From Prince Charles' iconic windsurfing trip to Gary Goldsmith's Ibiza cocaine scandal as William and Kate are spotted on a £40million yacht in Greece

Daily Mail​

10 hours ago

Like thousands of families across Britain, Prince William and his family escaped to the Mediterranean this summer for some well earnt sun and relaxation.
It is understood that William and Kate holidayed in Greece where they travelled around the idyllic Ionian Islands on a luxury £40million yacht.
The Prince and Princess of Wales - along with Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte - first travelled to Kefalonia before they were spotted off the coast of the tiny island of Ithaca.
The royals then dropped anchor at nearby Zakynthos for a very special reason.
During the weekend, the Daily Mail reported that a tender boat was despatched on a special mission. Locals on Zakynthos have half-jokingly speculated that the 12-year-old George might fancied a fast food treat.
Sources remain tight-lipped about the what the purpose of the trip was but allegedly the young Prince - seemingly having grown tired of Greek staples such as souvlaki and moussaka - might have fancied a McDonalds.
The amusing stories emerging from the Waleses' Greek escapades are reminiscent of holidays that a young William enjoyed with the now King Charles III and his late mother Princess Diana.
Throughout the 80s and 90s, William and Harry enjoyed a number of yachting excursions across the sun-kissed shores of the Mediterranean yet there remains noticeable differences between those enjoyed by William today.
Indeed, the now adult Prince of Wales has been keen to make sure his family trips remain private.
However, while the Prince was growing up, Charles and Diana were pictured in their swimsuits in remarkably intimate and candid shots.
One of the most famous yachting holidays taken by the couple was during their trip to Majorca in 1986.
They were invited by the King of Spain - Juan Carlos I - to visit the popular tourist destination where they reportedly visited its most popular resorts including Palma and Cala Major - where the Spanish Royal Family's summer residence is located.
This is in stark contrast to Wills most recent trip to Greece where the Daily Mail has learned that not once during the sailing trip did the royals set foot on any of the islands.
Pictures that emerged from the trip suggest it was a holiday Charles and Diana enjoyed. In one image, Diana could be seen diving off the side of the Spanish yacht into the sea.
Meanwhile Charles was spotted enjoying a spot of windsurfing.
William and Kate holidayed on the neighbouring island of Ibiza in 2006 while they were courting.
While staying on the party island, the future Prince and Princess of Wales were pictured sunbathing together on the bow of a yacht.
During this holiday, they were invited to stay at Kate's 'bad boy' uncle Gary Goldsmith's £3.6million villa alongside Pippa and James Middleton and Prince Harry.
The luxury pad boasted an infinity swimming pool and a tennis court, but it quickly became known as 'La Maison de Bang Bang' – crude French slang for the house of sex – because of his penchant for wild parties.
In 2009, the trip made headlines after The News Of The World printed a shocking photo of Kate's uncle - Gary Goldsmith - seemingly preparing to snort cocaine on their front page.
Gary had unwittingly invited two journalists from the paper into his villa in Ibiza where he shared stories about Kate and Wills time at his home including a tale of how William broke his ornamental pyramids.
Another famous trip taken to the Med by Charles and Diana was their holiday to Italy in 1991.
The excursion was dubbed their 'second honeymoon' as it came shortly after the couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.
Sailing along the coast of Italy, the royals enjoyed the splendour of the Alexander - which at the time was the third biggest yacht in the world - where they were joined by the former King and Queen of Greece, Constantine and Anne-Marie, as well as Prince Charles's cousin, Lord Romsey, and his wife, Lady Penelope and all their children.
Charles and Diana swimming in the sea off the coast of Sardinia. From what is known now their marriage was very much on the rocks by the summer of 1991
Diana aboard Mohammed al Fayed's yacht in Saint Tropez
While the press dubbed the trip a 'happy family holiday', Charles and Diana would separate just over a year later in December 1992 and from what is known now their marriage was very much on the rocks by the summer of 1991.
Princess Diana would continue to take yachting holidays after her separation and later divorce from Charles in 1996.
Her most notorious trip would tragically become her last when she spent the summer of 1997 sailing around southern Europe with Mohamed al Fayed and his son Dodi al Fayed.
At Mohamed's invitation Diana traveled to the south of France, with William and Harry, in July that year for a week away at his home in Saint-Tropez and on his private yacht.
It was on this holiday that the Princess met Dodi and a romance soon blossomed.
Diana enjoyed the break. The Princess was pictured smiling and enjoying herself aboard the luxury vessel and Harry would write in his memoir, Spare, that 'everything about that trip to St. Tropez was heaven'.
A month later, Diana returned to the French Riviera and spent more time with Dodid travelling to Corsica and Sardinia on his yacht.
The pair were soon photographed together leading to a summer of speculation in the media about what their relationship was. The Daily Mail ran a headline on August 7 which read 'Diana's cruise with playboy Dodi'.
It was during this fateful holiday that Princess Diana was snapped sitting at the end of the yacht's diving board.
Alone, wearing a striking turquoise swimming costume the picture instantly became one of the most notorious photos from that summer as just days later both Dodi and Diana would dead following a car crash in Paris.
Two years later, in August 1999, Camilla joined Charles and his sons for a yacht cruise around the Aegean in what Richard Kay at the Daily Mail described at the time as 'the most significant development in their relationship since their "coming-out" photocall on the steps of the Ritz Hotel' where they officially announced their relationship.
Since their marriage in 2005, Charles and Camilla have continued to enjoy yachting. In 2008 they embarked on a royal tour of the Caribbean where they traveled by boat to destinations such as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.