Paddling into the distance, Prince William last night took his new bride to one of the most remote – and romantic – places on earth. The royal took advantage of a brief visit to the frontier town of Yellowknife to fly his wife into the Canadian wilderness where they witnessed the region's legendary 'midnight sunset'.
Devoid of their entourage – including even their ever-present police bodyguards – the newly-weds feasted on local cranberries, bannock bread and Caribou steaks cooked over an open campfire in total peace and solitude. Afterwards they described the evening to aides as 'magical'.
William, 29, arranged the evening as a surprise for Kate mid-way through their gruelling nine-day tour of Canada.
Situated on the edge of the Tundra and peppered with thousands of freshwater lakes, NWT boasts some of the most beautiful - and inhospitable – countryside known to man. In the late afternoon, they boarded a float plane which flew them 100 miles away to the breathtakingly picturesque surroundings of Blachford Lake. Waving goodbye to their staff, the couple paddled off to nearby Eagle Island, dubbed Honeymoon Island by locals. The spot is so far north that it never gets dark at this time of year. Only at midnight does a low dusk finally settle, often producing one of the most spectacular – and slowest - sunsets on earth.
Mike Freeland and his wife Tessa Macintosh, who own and run Blachford Lake Lodge, helped to arrange the prince's surprise. The couple spent their first night as man and wife on the island in July 1991.
After watching William and Kate set off in their canoe Tessa, 58, a mother of three, said: 'Its real name is Eagle Island, but ever since my wedding night we've called it Honeymoon Island. When I was taken there I thought my new husband was the most romantic man on earth and I'm sure that is just how Kate must feel now.'
After three hours the couple were collected from the island by a motorboat and flown by float-plane back to Yellowknife where another day of official engagements beckoned, including a surprise visit to the town of Slave Lake which was almost razed to the ground by wildfires in May.
Devoid of their entourage – including even their ever-present police bodyguards – the newly-weds feasted on local cranberries, bannock bread and Caribou steaks cooked over an open campfire in total peace and solitude. Afterwards they described the evening to aides as 'magical'.
William, 29, arranged the evening as a surprise for Kate mid-way through their gruelling nine-day tour of Canada.
Situated on the edge of the Tundra and peppered with thousands of freshwater lakes, NWT boasts some of the most beautiful - and inhospitable – countryside known to man. In the late afternoon, they boarded a float plane which flew them 100 miles away to the breathtakingly picturesque surroundings of Blachford Lake. Waving goodbye to their staff, the couple paddled off to nearby Eagle Island, dubbed Honeymoon Island by locals. The spot is so far north that it never gets dark at this time of year. Only at midnight does a low dusk finally settle, often producing one of the most spectacular – and slowest - sunsets on earth.
Mike Freeland and his wife Tessa Macintosh, who own and run Blachford Lake Lodge, helped to arrange the prince's surprise. The couple spent their first night as man and wife on the island in July 1991.
After watching William and Kate set off in their canoe Tessa, 58, a mother of three, said: 'Its real name is Eagle Island, but ever since my wedding night we've called it Honeymoon Island. When I was taken there I thought my new husband was the most romantic man on earth and I'm sure that is just how Kate must feel now.'
After three hours the couple were collected from the island by a motorboat and flown by float-plane back to Yellowknife where another day of official engagements beckoned, including a surprise visit to the town of Slave Lake which was almost razed to the ground by wildfires in May.
