Boost for Mauritius as William and Kate off on honeymoon - at last

Friday, 13 May 2011 00:35 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

(Reuters) - Britain’s Prince William and his new wife Kate have set off for a delayed honeymoon following their 29 April wedding, St James’s Palace said.

The couple flew out, a royal source said, but no details were given of their destination other than it was outside Britain. William’s office said the couple had asked that their privacy be respected.

A tourism source in the Seychelles said the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they are now officially known, were at a luxury villa in an exclusive resort in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

The source told Reuters that the couple arrived early on Tuesday by private jet which landed in Mahe, the main island in the Seychelles, then flew by helicopter to the smaller and secluded island of Desroches, famous as a honeymooners’ paradise for wealthy people seeking privacy, for a 10-day break.

Some British newspapers and Seychellois media also reported on Tuesday that the couple were honeymooning in the Seychelles.

There was no official comment in the Seychelles.

The Seychelles media usually do not report on the visits of prominent personalities who have raised the country’s profile as a haven for celebrities and other rich holiday makers.

Tourism is the Indian Ocean archipelago’s key economic driver and source of foreign exchange.

William and Kate have previously been to Desroches, a hideaway that is 3 miles long and 1 mile wide with immaculate white soft sandy beaches and crystal blue waters that would attract a snorkelling fan such as William.

Speculation has been raging in the media and social Internet sites about where the newlyweds would go for their honeymoon, with Kenya -- where William proposed to Kate during a holiday -- and the Caribbean seen as possible destinations.

Their wedding in London’s Westminster Abbey on April 29 attracted about a million well-wishers onto the streets of London and a global TV audience estimated by media to be as high as 2.4 billion.

The couple caused a stir the day after their marriage when they said they were not leaving immediately on honeymoon.

Instead William returned to work as a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot. Kate was spotted pushing a shopping trolley in a supermarket car park near their home on the Welsh island of Anglesey.