First, let me thank Celebitches Erin and Rachel for sending this story in as a request for coverage. I love that people enjoy it when I bitch about the work-sky royals! And this is one of the biggest work-shy-royal stories we’ve ever had. I’m not sure what happened or who pissed off whom or whether Prince William is terrorizing his cousins, but the Daily Mail just slammed the crap out of Princess Beatrice. Granted, Beatrice is shady as hell these days – I still don’t believe she was in San Francisco for a “financial course” and I don’t believe she does much of anything in general. The Daily Mail agrees – their article is an EPIC tale of vacations on someone else’s dime.

According to the Duke of York’s official website, Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary of York ‘works full time in business’. The site also trumpets the many charitable pursuits of HRH (as her father Prince Andrew is so keen for her to be known). Its message is clear: the sixth in line to the throne is busy, self-sufficient and no burden on the public purse. The only problem is, the activity that appears to keep her most busy is, well, holidaying. This week the 26-year-old jetted off to Verbier in the Alps and is enjoying her 11th break in less than six months.

Given that she resigned from her last job, as an intern at Sony, back in January — after just 12 months in the role — these many trips rather invite the question of precisely who is paying for them. For while Beatrice receives no public funding, she shows no signs of earning any money, either. There have been reports of a U.S. move and interviews with finance companies there, though this is yet to materialise. Not that her career uncertainty has affected her holidaying. On Sunday she headed straight for the airport after church with the Queen, and 11 holidays in under six months is a record even for this particularly itinerant princess.

How does she afford it? Those close to Bea say most of the funding comes from her parents (though where their money comes from is even more of an enigma; sources say Andrew is funded principally by the Queen). Boyfriend Dave Clark may also aid her lifestyle; he earns a healthy six-figure salary and is able to arrange much of her travel free as part of his role at Virgin Galactic. Presumably he will earn even more in his new role at taxi giant Uber. ‘Let’s face it, it doesn’t do Virgin any harm that the company gets a mention every time Bea appears on Dave’s arm,’ was the assessment of one source.

Another said ‘her father buys a business-class ticket on British Airways, but they always bump her up to first’. She can stay in Verbier and New York for free at her parents’ and sister’s homes. And her St Barts trips also appear to have been freebies — the first one on the Mittal yacht, the second on a yacht paid for, say friends, by comedian and close friend Jimmy Carr. Once there, living expenses would be minimal.

The Princess also benefits from her many well-connected, well-off friends. Many enjoy the use of private jets — the Reuben family own London Oxford airport and Battersea Heliport — so the potential for ‘lifts’ is almost unlimited. Others have large holiday homes or, like the Tangs, are more than happy to provide accommodation for their famous, royal connections.

[From The Daily Mail]

The bulk of the article is devoted to listing all 11 holidays/vacations Beatrice has enjoyed over the past six months, which you can read at the Mail’s website. To be fair to Beatrice, the Mail lists some “vacations” which are half-work, like going to the UAE with her father and then just spending a few days doing fun stuff. You know who else does that? Will and Kate. That being said, I feel like the Mail missed a few holidays, because they literally didn’t mention whatever “time off” Beatrice had for the Christmas holiday. I assume she was at Windsor Castle. Surely we should count that as a holiday too? But yeah, UAE to Shanghai to St. Barts to NYC to Verbier to Colorado to Greece and then back to the ski slopes of Verbier. And on and on. Girl, get a job.

Photos courtesy of WENN, PCN.