Last Thursday, Prince William and Kate made their first-ever visit to Rothesay, Scotland. That’s their title-namesake, when they’re in Scotland, their titles are “the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.” Those have been their Scottish titles for four years, and once again, this was their first-ever visit. Wild, right? Even crazier is that William and Kate only threw together their big day in Rothesay because they were competing with Prince Harry’s Invictus events. At the end of the day, few people cared. There were some videos mocking the Rothesays for performatively picking up litter while wearing Burberry, and there was a video of William fussing at Kate, and those videos got more attention than the actual visit. Well, it looks like ol’ Peg and Buttons only agreed to their half-assed Scottish trip because they could get a vacation out of it. They apparently stayed in Scotland over the weekend.
The Prince and Princess of Wales spent the weekend in Scotland as the fallout from Earl Spencer’s memoir about Diana, Princess of Wales, continued.
William and Catherine are thought to have travelled to Royal Deeside after their visit to the Isle of Bute on Thursday, while the monarch stayed at his Birkhall home on the Balmoral estate, following two days of engagements at Dumfries House in Ayrshire.
Catherine stayed for two nights before returning to Windsor alone on a British Airways flight from Aberdeen on Saturday morning.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace would comment on whether they had spent time with the King. The monarch and his heir have made a point of enjoying private time together in Scotland in late September in recent years.
Last year, William stayed with the King on his Scottish estate, where he also reportedly hosted friends for a shooting party.
While the Prince has made no public comment on the allegations in his uncle’s memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, his proximity to his father over the weekend may be interpreted by some as a show of support amid a series of damaging claims made against the King by his former brother-in-law.
Literally, they did one day of “royal engagements” and immediately needed a three-day holiday weekend without their children. I would argue that they probably weren’t even staying at the same place at a technical level – while I buy that William was probably staying somewhere on the Balmoral estate, I have my doubts that Kate was anywhere nearby. Kate leaving Scotland solo sort of confirms that they were not even together this weekend. I bet Willy hosted another shooting party. Anyway, Willy has to fly back to London soon – tonight is the royal premiere of Digger. Someone dig out the plane shoes and Kate’s beehive wiglet!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Catherine, Princess of Wales, reacts while visiting Bute Shinty Club in Rothesay, during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135707480, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Catherine, Princess of Wales, smiles while visiting Bute Shinty Club in Rothesay, during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135707471, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, meet the community members and pub regulars while visiting the community-owned Anchor Tavern Pub & Hub in Port Bannatyne during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135707609, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, leave the community-owned Anchor Tavern Pub & Hub in Port Bannatyne, during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135707639, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, swhile meeting members of the public outside, after visiting the community-owned Anchor Tavern Pub & Hub in Port Bannatyne during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135717328, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Catherine, Princess of Wales, meets members of the public outside, in Port Bannatyne during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135717391, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- 17/09/2026. Ettrick Bay, Isle of Bute, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to Ettrick Bay to meet the team behind Beachwatch Bute and learn about their efforts to protect and preserve the island’s coastline. Their Royal Highnesses joined a Beach Ranger and other supporters of the charity during a litter pick where they heard about the community’s role in safeguarding the local environment.,Image: 1135727013, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace/Avalon
- 17/09/2026. Ettrick Bay, Isle of Bute, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to Ettrick Bay to meet the team behind Beachwatch Bute and learn about their efforts to protect and preserve the island’s coastline. Their Royal Highnesses joined a Beach Ranger and other supporters of the charity during a litter pick where they heard about the community’s role in safeguarding the local environment.,Image: 1135727032, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace/Avalon
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, pose with 95-year-old Jenny Salli while visiting Bute Shinty Club in Rothesay, during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135736045, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Catherine, Princess of Wales, meets representatives from the club’s senior and youth teams, while visiting Bute Shinty Club in Rothesay, during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of TheDuke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135736062, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Prince William, Prince of Wales (C) has a drink as he meets community members and pub regulars while visiting the community-owned Anchor Tavern Pub & Hub in Port Bannatyne during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute on September 17, 2026 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who also hold the titles of TheDuke and Duchess of Rothesay, visited the island to celebrate community, connection and volunteering.,Image: 1135736104, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Jeff J Mitchell/Avalon
- 17/09/2026. Ettrick Bay, Isle of Bute, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to Ettrick Bay to meet the team behind Beachwatch Bute and learn about their efforts to protect and preserve the island’s coastline. Their Royal Highnesses joined a Beach Ranger and other supporters of the charity during a litter pick where they heard about the community’s role in safeguarding the local environment.,Image: 1135810383, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace/Avalon

















