Mustique: The Caribbean Island Playground of Royals, Rockstars, and Runaways
- dthholland
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
There’s an island in the Caribbean where Princess Margaret once sipped rum punch in a pink kaftan, where Mick Jagger built a Balinese-style villa overlooking the sea, and where billionaires and bohemians still rub shoulders in barefoot luxury. Welcome to Mustique—an exclusive, privately owned island with fewer than 120 villas, no paparazzi, and a long-standing reputation as a magnet for royalty, rockstars, and runaway tycoons.
But how did this little-known island in the Grenadines become one of the world’s most discreet celebrity enclaves? It all began with one man and a vision.
A Tiny Island with a Grand History
The small island of Mustique is located in the West Indies and is part of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines archipelago. Covering just 2.2 square miles, it lies in the southern Caribbean and is accessible either by air or via a ferry service from the nearby island of St Vincent. Despite its modest size, Mustique has a rich and layered history stretching back thousands of years.
The earliest archaeological evidence indicates that Mustique was inhabited by peoples from South America as early as 2,500 BC. The Arawaks settled from around 250 BC until 1000 AD, followed by the Caribs. The arrival of European explorers in the late 15th century marked a significant shift. Spanish navigators named the surrounding Grenadine islands Los Pájaros (‘the birds’), due to the archipelago resembling a scattered flock when seen from afar.
Mustique also became a haven for pirates, who reputedly used its hidden coves to conceal ships and treasure. In the 1740s, the island entered a new phase when European planters seized on its potential for sugar cultivation. Following the British seizure of the Grenadines from the French at the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763, Mustique flourished briefly as a sugar-producing outpost.
However, by the 19th century, the Caribbean sugar industry was in decline, undercut by sugar beet production in Europe. The island was purchased by the Hazell family in 1835, who shifted focus to general farming and livestock. They also ran a school for the island’s inhabitants, a tradition of local stewardship that would later appeal to Colin Tennant.
Colin Tennant's Vision: Transforming Mustique
In 1958, the Honourable Colin Tennant bought Mustique from the Hazell family for £45,000. The island at that time was in a neglected state—overrun with jungle, with no paved roads, no running water, and the only building of note being a crumbling plantation house. Tennant, born into a wealthy family with ties to British aristocracy and bohemian circles, was both a visionary and an eccentric.
He came from a remarkable lineage. His uncle was Stephen Tennant, a famous Bright Young Thing of the 1920s, and his grandmother, Pamela Wyndham, was part of the influential Souls group. Backed by family wealth derived from the chemical industry, Colin Tennant had the financial freedom to pursue ambitious and artistic projects. He initially planned to turn the island into a plantation, but soon realised that creating a high-end private retreat for the elite would be far more profitable—and glamorous.
When he purchased the island, it was described as a desolate expanse of scrub and cactus, plagued by mosquitoes, and with no basic infrastructure. Apart from a few villagers living in tin shacks, the island was all but deserted.
Tennant began by building essential infrastructure, including a reservoir and a proper road system. In 1964, he created Lovell Village to house local inhabitants, each of whom received a plot of land. That same year, he employed stage designer Oliver Messel to reimagine Mustique's architecture. Messel’s romantic designs influenced the aesthetic of the island, and he would eventually design 15 of the island's homes, including Tennant's own residence.
In 1968, The Mustique Company was formed, with Hugo Money-Coutts as its first manager. Tennant successfully negotiated tax-free status for the island, which made villa investment all the more attractive to wealthy buyers. Roads, a desalination plant, electricity, and communications were developed, and the island’s Cotton House hotel opened in 1969.
The airport began operations in 1969, helping to further establish Mustique as a destination of ease and privacy. By the early 1970s, Mustique had begun to evolve from a grand experiment to an actual functioning paradise.
Royal Retreats and Scandals
In 1960, Tennant made a move that would define the island's future: he gifted Princess Margaret a 10-acre plot as a wedding present. She commissioned a villa, Les Jolies Eaux, which was completed in 1973. Nestled between two bays, the villa became a beloved escape for the Princess, who was drawn to its privacy and freedom.
The 1970s were a lively time for the island. Princess Margaret’s relationship with the much younger Roddy Llewellyn became public after they were photographed together on Mustique. The revelation rocked the British press and contributed to the breakdown of her marriage to Lord Snowdon. Yet Margaret remained devoted to Mustique, often visiting twice a year and entertaining guests with a mix of royal formality and island ease.
Tennant and Margaret formed the core of the island's social life. In 1976, during Tennant's extravagant 50th birthday celebration, Princess Margaret crowned him the "King of Mustique". The parties were legendary. As described by guests like Jeannette Copeland, "Colin was a master of creating something, and his whole job was to entertain Princess Margaret." He owned trunks filled with costumes — everything from pirate outfits to mermaid tails — enabling guests to become someone else for the night. "Copious amounts of rum helped," she noted.
As Margaret’s health declined, so too did her presence on the island. “Her speech became more impacted,” said Copeland. “I didn't think she wanted people to see her like that. She wanted people to remember how she was.”
Before her death, Margaret transferred Les Jolies Eaux to her son, David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, to avoid inheritance tax. He sold it in 1999 for a reported £2.4 million, and the property became available for holiday rental.
The Bohemian Jet Set Arrives
Mustique's royal seal of approval soon attracted celebrities. Mick Jagger and his then-wife Bianca were early adopters. They commissioned a villa near the beach built in a Japanese style. Jagger still maintains a home there and is frequently seen keeping to himself. “It’s no big deal,” said local resident Jeannette Cadet. “I just had lunch with Bryan Adams. Shania Twain was here at one stage. And David Bowie was close to my heart: he was so into the community. Every Tuesday evening he would read stories to the schoolchildren.”
David Bowie’s villa, designed by Arne Hasselqvist, was a tranquil space he called Britannia Bay House. Bowie sold it to publisher Felix Dennis in 1994, and after Dennis's death in 2014, the estate — now known as Mandalay — was sold to entrepreneur Simon Dolan.
Other visitors over the years have included Noel and Liam Gallagher, Kate Moss, Johnny Depp, Paul McCartney, Tom Ford, Daniel Craig, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Victoria Beckham, and Bill Gates. In 1996, Noel Gallagher reportedly wrote much of the Oasis album Be Here Now while staying on the island.
Prince William and Kate Middleton continue the royal connection, having holidayed at Villa Antilles with their family as recently as summer 2023.
A Changing Island
Despite its ongoing allure, some long-time residents note that Mustique has changed. In the early days, there were fewer homes, few cars, and guests travelled around in golf buggy-style vehicles called Mules. There was a democratic spirit to island life; you might find a duchess dancing with a fisherman at Basil’s Bar.
According to Copeland, "Old Mustique was based on the social principle of invite others to your house and be invited to other people’s houses for drinks and dinners." Now, with 100 homes and up to 1,200 residents and guests, the sense of intimacy has waned. “These days people go to Mustique to get away and stay within their own groups,” she says. “I have not attended a wild party there in a long, long time.”
Nonetheless, the island retains its appeal. Privacy is still its most valued asset. Locations in Spain doubled as Mustique in The Crown, as filming on the island itself was out of the question.
Roger Pritchard, the current managing director of The Mustique Company, notes that the island is more family-focused now. "When Princess Margaret came, she partied hard. Modern celebrities and royals come not to get away and party, but to have a good time. It’s family entertainment they want more than hedonistic entertainment."
Escape, Elegance, and Enduring Allure
From ancient settlements and pirate legends to sugar plantations and aristocratic hideaways, Mustique has seen many incarnations. But it is Tennant’s vision of a tropical bohemia that endures. With a blend of exclusivity, natural beauty, and historical depth, Mustique continues to offer the world’s elite a rare commodity: genuine escape.
In a world saturated with curated luxury, Mustique remains something special—a place where the rules of modern fame don’t quite apply, and where time seems to move to the rhythm of the sea.
