The Royal honeymoon secret is out — it’s the Seychelles
By Sean Carey
The secret is out. The Royal honeymoon destination is the tiny island of Desroches in the Seychelles, 150 miles south west from Mahe, the main island. According to the Daily Express the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge “can expect barmy temperatures between 75°F (24°C) and 90°F (32°C)” and an encounter with “rare wildlife and giant tortoises” at a “secluded villa set amongst coconut groves and turquoise seas.”
If you read my earlier article in Mauritius Times, I was for Australia, a Commonwealth country where the Queen is head of state.
I am not a complete loser, however. I picked up from later press reports that it was unlikely that William would have sufficient holiday time from his post as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot to travel to Lizard Island, located 150 miles north of Cairns, and back. I also spotted a story that Kate was learning French, and that this educational initiative might have something to do with the choice of honeymoon destination.
If true, this obviously ruled out other possible honeymoon idylls like some of the British islands in the Caribbean, but it did bring French-speaking Commonwealth countries like Mauritius and the Seychelles into the running. Both destinations obviously fulfilled the paradise island preference to which I referred in the earlier article. But how to choose between them?
I calculated that two factors would come into play in making the royal decision. First, a direct flight from the UK is eight hours, whereas to Mauritius it is 12 hours. Second, the Seychelles has numerous small hideaways in its 115-island archipelago, which would be ideal for avoiding the long lens cameras of the paparazzi (or worse). By contrast, security would need to be a lot tighter in Mauritius where the most suitable locations for the Royal honeymooners are on the mainland.
Impressed by the logic my friend, Laura North, who has an online account, put on £10 for herself and £5 for me on the Seychelles and she tells me she got 10/1. So £50 for yours truly minus my failed £5 bet on Lizard Island. £45 coming my way.
A result, I say.
Dr Sean Carey is research fellow in the Department of Social Sciences, Roehampton University
A version of this article has appeared on the Anthropology Works blog
* Published in print edition on 13 May 2011
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