When it comes to holidays, the Royal Family’s tastes are eclectic.While glamorous Caribbean islands and luxury ski resorts feature, many royal favourites are chosen for their privacy, natural beauty and ability to escape the spotlight.King Charles has long retreated to remote Romania, while favourites of the Prince and Princess of Wales include the Isles of Scilly. Some destinations have been enjoyed by generations of royals, others are newer discoveries, but all the following have at some time won the royal seal of approval…Sandringham in the summerWhile best known as the setting for the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations, the 20,000-acre Sandringham estate in Norfolk is also where the Prince and Princess of Wales spend many school holidays with their children at Anmer Hall.Family photographs show they are regular visitors to Holkham Beach, and Catherine has often been spotted browsing the independent shops of Burnham Market. Sandringham House and Gardens are open to visitors, where the new RHS Sandringham Flower Show takes place from July 22-26.Book it: Stay on the estate in the three-bedroom Folly, a former hunting lodge with wraparound wood balcony and a turret. Seven nights for six from £2,772 in September (oliverstravels.com). Sandringham House and Gardens are open to visitors, where the new RHS Sandringham Flower Show takes place from July 22-26Rural RomaniaKing Charles is a huge fan of Romania – he has been going there for decades, made it the first country he visited after his coronation and is said to be a distant relative of Vlad the Impaler, the real-life Dracula.Among his collection of properties in rural Transylvania is a seven-room house in the Zalan Valley, which is open to guests when he is not in residence.With stone floors, exposed beams, antiques and embroidered textiles, it is deliberately free of televisions and radios. Guests can unwind in the swimming pool or hot tub and enjoy table d’hôte meals.BOOK IT: Rooms from £112 room only or from £156pp full board with excursions and activities (zalan.transylvaniancastle.com). Returns to Bucharest from £97 (wizzair.com). Among Charles’s collection of properties in rural Transylvania is a seven-room house in the Zalan Valley, which is open to guests when he is not in residence.Greece is the wordBefore he became King, Charles and Camilla were spotted several times enjoying summer getaways on the Greek island of Corfu. They reportedly stayed at the Rothschild villa in exclusive Kerasia on the island’s north-east coast and have also explored the island by yacht.Corfu holds particular significance for the King as the birthplace of his father, Prince Philip. More recently, in 2022 Prince Edward, Sophie and their children spent two weeks on the island, known for its lush landscapes, pristine coves and Venetian-influenced old town.Book it: Seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Valmar Hotel, on the beach a 30-minute drive from Corfu Town, from £1,317pp with Gatwick flights on July 3 (jet2holidays.com). Charles and Camilla often go on holiday to Corfu (pictured, Valmar Hotel on the island’s north-east coast)Royals in RockiesThe scenic lakes, soaring peaks and wilds of Canada’s Rocky Mountains have long attracted royal visitors.During their 2011 tour of Canada as newlyweds, William and Kate slipped away to remote Skoki Lodge, in Banff National Park.Although they arrived by helicopter, most visitors reach the rustic lodge via the 11km hiking trail from Lake Louise.The royal connections continue in Jasper National Park, where Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip stayed at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in 2005, in the same cabin used years earlier by the Queen’s parents.Book it: Skoki Lodge has rooms from £144, with meals (skoki.com). Non-staying guests can hike there for afternoon tea. A 13-night fly-drive trip including Banff and Jasper National Parks costs from £3,339pp including flights, car hire, accommodation and experiences (mycanadatrips.co.uk). The scenic lakes, soaring peaks and wilds of Canada’s Rocky Mountains have long attracted royal visitorsQueen mum’s highland homeIn 1952, the Queen Mother, King Charles III’s grandmother, bought what was then Barrogill Castle on the Caithness coast, restoring the 16th-century fortress and renaming it the Castle of Mey. It became her summer retreat and a regular stop on the former Prince Charles’s Scottish holidays.Today, you can catch glimpses of the Queen Mother’s personality on a tour of the castle, from her powder-blue raincoat hanging in the hallway to her cocktail cabinet.Just a couple of minutes’ walk away in the castle grounds is the ten- room Granary Lodge, which opened as a B&B in 2019.Book it: B&B doubles from £225. The castle is open until September 30 (castle ofmey.org.uk). Today, you can catch glimpses of the Queen Mother’s personality on a tour of the castle, from her powder-blue raincoat hanging in the hallway to her cocktail cabinetKlosters is kingThe then Prince Charles helped put the discreet Swiss mountain village of Klosters on the royal map after first skiing there in the late 1970s.He returned almost every winter, first with Princess Diana, later with William and Harry, who learned to ski on its slopes.Charles’s affection for the quietly elegant resort, which shares 250km of piste with glitzier neighbour Davos, owes much to his friendship with Charles Palmer-Tomkinson, with whom he stayed.Today, Palmer-Tomkinson’s son James runs PT Ski, which offers packages at the traditional Hotel Wynegg, one of the King’s favourite addresses.Book it: Four nights’ B&B at Hotel Wynegg from £560pp including the services of a ski concierge (ptski.com). Returns to Klosters from £109 (swiss.com). Today, Palmer-Tomkinson’s son James runs PT Ski, which offers packages at the traditional Hotel Wynegg, one of the King’s favourite addresses The then Prince Charles helped put the discreet Swiss mountain village of Klosters on the royal map after first skiing there in the late 1970sMagical MustiqueQueen Elizabeth II’s sister, Princess Margaret, famously escaped the glare of royal life at Les Jolies Eaux, the villa she had built on the southern tip of Mustique, which can be rented from £26,000 a week.Sharing her love of the island, the Prince and Princess of Wales have been visiting for almost two decades, most recently with Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte in February 2025. The island’s privacy and laid-back atmosphere make it a natural royal refuge.Basil’s Bar is a favourite, as is the Tuesday-night cocktail party at the Cotton House’s Great Room Bar.BOOK IT: B&B doubles at 17-room Cotton House from £600 (mustique-island.com). Returns to St Lucia from £600 (ba.com) with onward returns to Mustique from £550. Relax on the Caribbean island beloved by Princess Margaret. B&B doubles at The Cotton House are from £600Cornish CaribbeanAfter visiting the Isles of Scilly earlier this year, Prince William spoke warmly of the archipelago, with its white-sand beaches, turquoise waters and subtropical gardens that form part of the Duchy of Cornwall.‘It’s kind of a different world,’ he told Heart Radio. ‘The children can go where they want, it’s completely safe.’ William holidayed there as a child with Prince Harry and their parents, reportedly staying at Tamarisk House on St Mary’s. Now he returns with his own family. In 2020, they were spotted on car-free Tresco, home to the Tresco Abbey Gardens.Book it: Four-bedroom Tamarisk House is a Duchy of Cornwall holiday cottage and costs from £3,410 a week in October (duchyof cornwallholidaycottages.co.uk). Returns from Penzance by ferry from £35 (islesofscilly-travel.co.uk). William holidayed in Cornwall as a child with Prince Harry and their parents, reportedly staying at Tamarisk House on St Mary’s After visiting the Isles of Scilly earlier this year, Prince William spoke warmly of the Cornish archipelagoIndian health spaA favourite of Queen Camilla and King Charles, the health retreat of Soukya on the outskirts of Bangalore blends ayurveda, homeopathy and naturopathy with modern medicine.Under the guidance of founder Dr Isaac Mathai, medical specialists assess guests before creating a personalised treatment programme.Herbs are cultivated for Soukya’s ayurvedic remedies on the 30-acre estate along with vegetables for the meat-free restaurant. The 25 plantation-style rooms are simple rather than sumptuous, but the standard of care makes it a retreat that’s fit for a king.BOOK IT: A five-day Taste of Soukya trip including full board, two treatments a day and transfers, costs £1,999pp (healing holidays.com). Returns to Bangalore from £534 (virginatlantic.com). A favourite of Queen Camilla and King Charles, the health retreat of Soukya on the outskirts of BangaloreBack to BalmoralBought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852, Balmoral Castle became one of the Royal Family’s most cherished retreats.Set within a 50,000-acred Highland estate of forests, moorland and mountains, it was particularly beloved by Queen Elizabeth II, who went there almost every summer. ‘You can go out for miles and never see anyone,’ she said. Today, visitors can tour parts of the castle, including the drawing room where the Queen was last photographed shortly before she died in 2022, aged 96. Several cottages on the estate can be rented.Book it: A three-bedroom cottage for six costs from £2,115. Admission to the castle’s grounds, garden and ballroom from £18.50; insider tours from £110 are booked out this year (balmoralcastle.com). Set within a 50,000-acred Highland estate of forests, moorland and mountains, Balmoral was particularly beloved by Queen Elizabeth II, who went there almost every summerAussie Gold CoastEvery January, the King’s niece, Zara Tindall, plans to holiday with her husband Mike on Australia’s Gold Coast after they attend the Magic Millions equestrian carnival. The couple, who met at Sydney’s Manly Wharf Bar, have long been fond of Australia’s sunshine and easy-going lifestyle.Book it: Trailfinders has 20 nights’ motorhome hire on its East Coast Explorer package plus one night in a Cairns hotel and two nights in Sydney, including flights, from £3,699pp in September (trailfinders.com). Every January, the King’s niece, Zara Tindall, plans to holiday with her husband Mike on Australia’s Gold CoastVenture to VerbierWith its challenging slopes, legendary off-piste terrain and lively après-ski scene, Verbier has long been a royal favourite.The king’s nieces, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, spent many winter holidays here in a chalet owned by their parents. Eugenie even met her future husband, Jack Brooksbank, in the resort. Princes William and Harry have also been frequent visitors.Book it: Seven nights’ B&B at Hotel Montpellier in January costs from £1,495pp including flights (skisolutions.com). With its challenging slopes, legendary off-piste terrain and lively après-ski scene, Verbier has long been a royal favourite After the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned, Queen Elizabeth II chartered the Hebridean Princess to cruise the highlands and islands of ScotlandHebridean cruiseAfter the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned, Queen Elizabeth II chartered the Hebridean Princess to cruise the highlands and islands of Scotland to celebrate her 80th birthday, taking another trip four years later.With the feel of a country house hotel on the water, the 48-guest ship features top-class dining and knowledgeable onboard guides.Instead of opting for the top-level Isle of Arran Suite, Queen Elizabeth preferred the Berneray suite, with teak furniture, tartan upholstery and balcony. She granted the ship a Royal Charter in 2012.BOOK IT: A seven-night Explore the Hebrides cruise leaving Oban July 7 costs from £8,264pp including all food and drink, excursions, and gratuities (hebridean.co.uk).