Prince William and Kate Middleton have taken their three children abroad for the half-term holidays

It's been a pretty hectic few months for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Between a red carpet appearance with James Bond (casual), a round of doubles with Emma Raducanu, and the starry launch of the inaugural Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony, the Cambridges have barely stopped since IRL royal duties resumed and their two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, began the new school year at Thomas's Battersea.

Yep, after months of pandemic-induced homeschooling at Anmer Hall, George and Charlotte are well into the autumn term at their prestigious London prep school, with eight-year-old George now in Year 4, and six-year-old Charlotte in Year 2. (Their three-year-old brother Prince Louis isn't far behind, attending The Willcocks Nursery School in South Kensington.)

So it doesn't come as a surprise, what with such a busy few months behind them, that William and Kate have taken their three children away on holiday for half-term break.

While the family typically retreat to Cornwall or the Lake District for UK staycations, it's been reported that the royal family of five are actually heading abroad for the school holiday, after they were pictured outside Heathrow Airport on Thursday afternoon.

In photographs obtained by The Daily Mail, the Cambridges were spotted outside the exclusive Windsor Suite, which is located inside Heathrow's Terminal 5, and reserved specially for the Royal Family and other high profile celebrities. (Oh, and it costs £3,300 for just one 3 hour stay, according to the tabloid.)

Kate was seen unloading the car in a smart shirtdress from high-street brand Me + Em, while George, Charlotte and Louis adorably helped their parents by carrying their own luggage into the airport.

While it isn't know where the family are heading, with the wedding of Princess Diana's godson Prince Philippos rumoured to be taking place in Greece this weekend, it's thought that the family could be flying out to attend.

The Cambridges also managed to sneak in a trip to the South of France last month to attend the wedding of Kate's younger brother James Middleton and his partner Alizée Thevenet.

While the Cambridges have jetted off to the likes of Mustique for previous family getaways, lockdown has prevented them from going abroad on recent half-term holidays.

Wherever they're headed this time round, though, we hope they have the loveliest time.

Kate McCusker

Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.