Prince William and Kate Middleton miss BAFTAs as they 'jet off to exclusive island'

It has been reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children are on holiday on an exclusive island in the Caribbean

The Prince and Princess of Wales will miss tonight's BAFTAs as they are on holiday 4,000 miles away.

As the president of BAFTA, Prince William has attended the annual film awards in London for several years running - and has been joined in the past by wife Kate on the red carpet. However, earlier this week, Kensington Palace revealed that neither of them would be at the glitzy event tonight at the Royal Festival Hall.

The awards fall at the start of their children's half-term holiday from school, with both William and Kate often taking time away from royal duties to spend time with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis when on their breaks from class.

According to the Mail On Sunday, the family is using the school holiday to enjoy a sun-drenched getaway on the exclusive luxury Caribbean island of Mustique. The publication reports that the family flew business class on a commercial British Airways flight to St Lucia before then heading on to Mustique, where Kate's mum, Carole, is also believed to be on holiday.

The island is a favourite among A-list celebrities and was a particular favourite destination of William's great aunt, Princess Margaret. The Wales family has been to Mustique several times before, including in 2019, when George spent his sixth birthday on the island. It is owned by a private company and has no hotels, meaning visitors must own a villa there or be invited to stay in one.

The royals will also be able to enjoy their privacy on the trip as Mustique enforces a no-fly zone, preventing paparazzi from getting any photographs from the air.

The trip is believed to have been their second holiday in as many months after it was reported the family enjoyed a New Year skiing break. The getaway also comes just weeks after Kate revealed she is now in remission from cancer and has been gradually returning to royal duties.

However, despite missing the BAFTAs tonight, William did drop in on budding moviemakers during a special visit last week. The Prince of Wales operated a camera while sitting on the dolly and track as he took shots for part of a film scene at the London Screen Academy (LSA) in Highbury, north London, on Wednesday.

The free-to-attend academy provides students skills and training with courses in film production, costume, editing and animation – and was created to address the skills shortage and lack of diversity in the UK screen and creative industries.

Among the academy’s co-founders are David Heyman, producer of all eight Harry Potter films, and Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, who oversee the James Bond franchise.

William has been the president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) since 2010, when he succeeded the actor and director Richard Attenborough.

Kensington Palace has been contacted by The Mirror for comment.