By Mail On Sunday Reporter

Last updated at 10:10 AM on 8th May 2011


They were carefree days before the world became entranced by their every movement.

This is Kate Middleton and her sister Pippa as they've never been seen before, enjoying an exuberant holiday in Ibiza with their family and Prince William.

Taken in 2006, these previously unseen pictures capture a fleeting moment in the lives of the couple when they could behave like ordinary twentysomethings, unencumbered by the responsibilities they now carry as the new stars of the Royal Family.

Athletic in Ibiza: Pippa Middleton performs a flawless backflip in to the warm waters of the Mediterranean as an admiring Kate looks on from the stern of the motor yacht

Athletic in Ibiza: Pippa Middleton performs a flawless backflip in to the warm waters of the Mediterranean as an admiring Kate looks on from the stern of the motor yacht

Playful: Pippa climbs back aboard as William jokingly grabs Kate; right, the sisters relax on deck, with Kate using her camera

Sunshine days: William, in red shorts, with Pippa (left), Carole, in green bikini, and other holiday guests

Sunshine days: William, in red shorts, with Pippa (left), Carole, in green bikini, and other holiday guests

They show the Prince larking around with Kate and Pippa, the girls' mother Carole and their brother James on a boat belonging to Carole's brother Gary Goldsmith during a week-long sunshine holiday to Ibiza.

Pippa shows off her athletic prowess -- and her enviably toned physique -- performing a backwards dive into the sea.

Kate, who also looks stunning in her white bikini, is content to stand back and watch.

Heir in the air: Watched by Carole, Kate, James (in the patterned shorts) and Pippa, William attempts a backflip from the boat...

... but the young royal finishes with an ungainly belly-flop into the water

... but the young royal finishes with an ungainly belly-flop into the water

Making waves: The Prince failed to match Pippa's graceful aquatic display

Making waves: The Prince failed to match Pippa's graceful aquatic display

Her Royal Hotness: Pippa in her bridesmaid's dress at her sister's wedding, which caught the attention of many male admirers

Her Royal Hotness: Pippa in her bridesmaid's dress at her sister's wedding

Carole, who won admiration at the wedding for her elegant appearance, also reveals a youthfully trim figure in an emerald green bikini.

Meanwhile, in his red swimming shorts, William could be any young man eager to impress his girlfriend by performing a backflip -- which somehow turns into a belly-flop by the time he hits the water.

The pictures reveal the extent to which the Middletons invited William into the heart of their family.

During their week in Ibiza, they stayed at Gary's 5million villa, dubbed 'La Maison de Bang Bang'.

Gary, a multi-millionaire property developer, later became the black sheep of the family after he was caught offering drugs to an undercover reporter.

But back in 2006, the public scrutiny the Middletons would later experience had not yet truly begun.

It was a year after William and Kate had graduated from St Andrews University, and William had just begun his military training at Sandhurst.

At just 24, neither of them had any idea what the future would hold and were simply enjoying their time together.

The following year, Kate and William split for a period, and when they reunited there was a sense of inevitability that they would eventually marry.


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The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Why blur out the name of the boat in SOME of the pictures?

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May I ask question? PLS someone tell me. So.. where these money ( for them to play around so luxury) come from in U.K.? And people in U.K. are happy with that? This in not offending...I just wonder it. - tomo, tokyo japan, 08/5/2011 15:34 Tomo, Kate's family was already very rich when she met William because of her parents' business. The Royal Family have a lot of money because they get a portion of taxpayer's money - not everyone is happy with it but it brings tourists to England which generates a lot of money and jobs, so they are arguably a benefit to the country. Hope that helps.

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That is not Carole Middleton in the green bikini. Can't be. The person looks much younger. And she has brown hair, not golden blonde hair. Looks like it's a friend....William is helping Pippa up while Kate looks on. Also Michael Middleton is in one of the photos.

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They worked for their money and still do leave them alone!

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JR, midlands UK, 8/5/2011 3:47- Speaking from an American standpoint, the President gets paid $300,000 a year. Security is what $500,000? The plane belongs to America, as does the house (or homes) and everything inside of it, so let's say at the most pay, food, and security (this includes his family and we don't pay for the vacations that comes out of his pocket) is $5m, now compare that to the Queen who needs about 60m a year (mind you that's pounds, not dollars). Now who would I choose someone I have the right to vote in or out or a family that will live in perpetual luxury for the rest of their days all the while taking even more money from people who struggle to pay for themselves.... It's a no brainer, because at least I can ask Congress to give him less money, does writing to your MPs and asking them to do anything about the cost of the Royals do anything? Obviously not as the MPs aren't even allowed to criticize them or discuss them.

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Ok surely everyone knows that the Middletons have money in their own right??? Why would you assume that the tax payers paid for this holiday?? People need to get a grip and stop all the jealousy and let this couple get on with their lives!!

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