26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Idyllic Scottish island where Prince William and Harry spent holidays with their 'other' gran
Prince William is poised to celebrate his wedding anniversary on the Scottish island of Mull later this week, marking 14 years of marriage with Kate Middleton. The Prince of Wales' younger brother, Harry, stood by his side back in 2011 as a young Kate and William exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey. However, it seems unlikely that Harry will be sending a card this year, given the growing rift between the two brothers since the duke's Royal Family exit in 2020. Even if he did, it's likely that William would tear up his peace offering. Yet, the stunning Argyll and Bute coastline might just soften the future king's stance towards his brother as it was in this region that the two siblings used to spend their holidays together while visiting their other grandmother, Frances Shand Kydd, who was the mother of Princess Diana. The late Princess of Wales mum spent considerable time on the picturesque island of Seil, just a stone's throw from the mainland, the Scottish Daily Express reports. Indeed, the sea channel separating the mainland and Seil is so narrow, it's bridged by the 21.3 metre, 18th Century humpback Clachan Bridge - also dubbed the 'bridge over the Atlantic' - eliminating the need for a boat to trace the royal's footsteps. Come early summer, the bridge, constructed between 1792 and 1793, is adorned with fairy foxgloves. Seil, one of the Slate Islands, features a nine-hole golf course and the An Cala gardens, home to azaleas and Japanese flowering cherries. The village of Ellenabeich is recognised for its striking white workers cottages. Ellenabeich, once a hub for the slate mining industry, has evolved into a sanctuary for artists. The largest settlement on the island is Balvicar, home to a golf course, village shop and yacht harbour. The island's pub, Tigh an Truish, is situated just across the bridge from the mainland. Its Gaelic name translates to 'house of the trousers', a nod to the local lore that islanders would switch from kilts to trousers here following the ban on Highland dress in the wake of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. Seil boasts a rich tapestry of history and folklore, with its surrounding treacherous waters notorious for shipwrecks. There have even been instances of whales getting trapped under the Clachan Bridge. Frances Ruth Shand Kydd's association with Seil began in 1969 when she married Peter Shand Kydd shortly after her divorce from John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, who is the father of Princess Diana. The couple purchased an 18th-century farmhouse, Ardencaple, on the island. Princess Diana would often bring her sons William and Harry to visit their grandmother on the island. However, Frances and Diana had a falling out a few months prior to the former Princess of Wales' tragic death in a Paris car accident. Frances spent her final years in solitude on Seil, passing away there in 2004. Both William and Harry attended her funeral in Oban, with William delivering a reading. Their father, King Charles, was unable to attend as he was in the USA for Ronald Reagan's funeral.
