Cambridge clan's luxury jaunts with Jordanian royals... where William zips around on vintage motorbikes and gun boats patrol off shore. But were they forced to cancel this year over fears of an Iranian missile attack?

They are said to have a standing invitation to spend their family holidays at a spectacular seaside palace belonging to Jordan’s King Abdullah II. But this half-term, the Prince and Princess of Wales have turned their backs on the lavish royal retreat, choosing instead to remain in Britain for Prince George’s first school holiday from Eton.

The family have previously enjoyed fabulous holidays at the exclusive Red Sea resort, but amid continuing conflict in the Middle East, a return to Jordan appears to have been off the cards this year.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘In Jordan, there’s always chatter around this time of year that the Prince and Princess of Wales will come to stay. They are considered regulars here in Jordan.

‘But they can hardly come here for water sports and jet skiing when there is the threat of Houthi or Iranian missiles. It can’t be a coincidence if an autumn return to Jordan wasn’t on their radar this year.’

King Abdullah, 64, who was educated in Surrey, Oxford and Sandhurst, loves to host the world’s most prominent people at his holiday palace, which has been extended over the past six years to accommodate about 15 guest families in the greatest luxury imaginable.

As they relax, Royal Jordanian Navy gunboats patrol the waters near the secluded beach, while elite military personnel help protect the sprawling compound.

William and Kate are understood to have enjoyed lavish stays there as guests of the King and Queen Rania and are thought to have been accompanied on at least one trip by their children, George, 13, Charlotte, 11, and eight-year-old Louis, as well as Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton.

William and Kate with George, Charlotte and Louis pose for their 2021 Christmas card picture, taken in Jordan

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania love to host the world’s most prominent people at their holiday palace

The sprawling compound boasts around 15 luxury villas as well as gyms and watersports facilities. It has been described as more like a five-star holiday resort than a traditional palace.

A source told The Mail on Sunday that the palace was like a personal first-class Club Med for royals with almost every conceivable luxury. Guests can go scuba diving, which William loves, waterskiing, jet-skiing and fishing, before enjoying lavish barbecues hosted by the King.

The atmosphere is said to be informal, with visiting royals travelling around the enormous estate in their own golf buggies and enjoying a degree of freedom rarely possible in their public lives. A source said: ‘I bet William and Kate are incredibly sad not to be going this year.’

Nearby attractions include a yacht club, and King Abdullah’s car museum, housing vintage Aston Martins, Ferraris, McLarens and motorcycles. William is said to have enjoyed riding some of the King’s prized motorbikes.

A source said: ‘It gives the King great pleasure to be able to offer the best hospitality to interesting people he wants to get to know or to be able offer a nice treat for families like the Waleses – who he already knows well and is fond of – to give them some much-needed family time.’

The British and Jordanian royal families have long been close. King Abdullah II’s father King Hussein became monarch in 1952, the same year Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne, while King Charles has been a regular visitor to Jordan. Prince William is also friends with King Abdullah’s son, Crown Prince Hussein, who, like William, trained at Sandhurst. The pair are understood to have once watched an England football match together.

And Kate has a long association with Jordan.

She spent nearly three years of her childhood there after her father Michael Middleton was posted to Amman while working for British Airways. She attended nursery school in the capital and has retained a lifelong affection for the country.

Tensions between Jordan and Iran have been growing as conflict in the Middle East continues

During an official visit to Jordan in 2018, William was shown a photograph of his future wife visiting the ancient ruins of Jerash as a little girl with her father and sister Pippa. The Prince posed for a photograph in the same spot, joking that Kate would be upset to have missed the visit.

Perhaps, then, it is little surprise that Michael and Carole have joined the Waleses at the resort. They are understood to benefit from concessionary travel through BA – though they are believed to have flown in standard class rather than business or first class.

But while the journey to Jordan might begin on a commercial flight, the experience becomes rather more extraordinary once they land in Amman. Royal visitors can be whisked aboard one of King Abdullah’s luxurious military helicopters for the journey to the Red Sea resort.

King Abdullah, a keen pilot, sometimes takes the controls himself. Crown Prince Hussein is also, like his friend William, a trained helicopter pilot.

Originally a smaller seaside residence, the royal retreat has expanded considerably, transforming into an extraordinary holiday resort. The luxurious guest villas are modestly called ‘chalets’, though they are more like miniature palaces.

King Abdullah is so enthusiastic about scuba diving that guests are encouraged to join him on almost daily expeditions to enjoy the spectacular underwater scenery. Catherine is said to be particularly fond of waterskiing and jet-skiing.

Guests can enjoy excursions into the extraordinary desert landscape nearby, where guests can spend a night or two away from the coast.

The trips, by helicopter or four-wheel-drive vehicles, give visitors the chance to experience Jordan’s spectacular scenery.

In the evenings, King Abdullah is said to enjoy hosting outdoor barbecues, personally taking charge of the grill in a tradition reminiscent of the late Duke of Edinburgh, who was famously happiest cooking for his family outdoors. The watershed 1969 documentary Royal Family shows Prince Philip cooking on a barbecue at Balmoral Castle.

Despite the extraordinary luxury, the mood is said to be remarkably relaxed. Guests can travel around the sprawling estate in their own golf buggies, dropping in on each other and enjoying the sort of informal family life rarely possible for royals elsewhere.

King Abdullah has also used the retreat to entertain Hollywood stars, business leaders and other influential figures. According to the source, visitors have included Hollywood actors Keanu Reeves, Jason Momoa, Timothee Chalamet and Oscar Isaac, as well as television presenter Richard Hammond. The cast of the Dune and Star Wars films are said to have enjoyed the King’s hospitality in between breaks in filming in the desert.

The Waleses’ fondness for Jordan was highlighted in their 2021 Christmas card, which featured William and Kate with George, Charlotte and Louis during a holiday in the country.

The photograph showed the family dressed casually in summer clothes against a rocky desert backdrop.

William and Kate returned to Jordan in June 2023 for the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein to Rajwa Al Saif. They joined royals from around the world for the lavish celebrations in Amman.

The location of the palace has become an increasing concern as the security situation across the region has deteriorated. The source believes the growing threat posed by missiles and drones in the wider Middle East will have made the family’s holiday arrangements there too risky to consider this year.

The Princess recently spoke of her excitement at spending October half-term with George, Charlotte and Louis.

Kate has repeatedly emphasised the importance of family life and has made clear that raising her three children is her priority.

William and Kate are understood to arrange their official engagements around the children’s school holidays wherever possible, ensuring they can spend as much time together as their royal duties allow.

The couple have previously enjoyed holidays on the exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique, part of St Vincent and the Grenadines, which has been a favourite haunt of the Middletons for years.

William and Kate took their children to the island in 2019, when Prince George celebrated his sixth birthday. They went again last year, during the February half-term.