The Queen has had words with Kate over her luxury holidays, claims book

We know that if we had access to a luxury island we'd want to be there as much as possible, but that's not quite how it works for the royal family.

Kate Middleton was reportedly pulled up by the Queen over how much time she spent on holidays before she and William got engaged. Kate regularly enjoyed ski trips and taking off the the Caribbean island of Mustique but wasn't working full-time,  royal correspondent Kate Nicholl has claimed. But it was 2010 and with a recession on, the head of the family didn't approve of "frivolous" displays of wealth like these lavish holidays, according to Nicholl's book William and Harry

"She is one of the hardest-working royals, despite her age, and that a future member of the family was without a full-time job was unacceptable to her. "While the rest of the world speculated that an engagement was on the horizon for William and Kate, the Queen believed an announcement should be postponed until Kate was settled in a career.

"It is Her Majesty’s opinion that if Kate is one day going to be William’s consort, then she needs a proper job. "Swanning from one five-star holiday resort to another is not the prerequisite for a young woman possibly destined to be Queen."

Whether not the Queen actually felt so strongly about how Kate spent her time, there's no denying that the now-Duchess definitely puts in her hours these days. With three young kids, she's also the patron of multiple organisations, focusing on causes including mental health, early childhood development and the arts.