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William & Kate News Bits (April 18, 2010)

Apr 18

Posted by britishroyals in Kate Middleton*, Prince William | No Comments

William & Kate attend yet another friend’s wedding

Let’s start with the non-gossip… The hard copy of the Daily Mail has this small article and pictures. Hopefully more pictures pop up online soon…

A society wedding with Kate in all her finery. But it’s not her turn . . .yet

Their rumoured engagement and future wedding plans have long been the subject of intense speculation. And for those eagerly anticipating another Royal Wedding, the sight of Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton arriving at a country church together will be sure to provoke more than a flicker of interest.

But this time, the couple were attending the nuptials of mutual friends Emilia d’Erlanger and David Jardine-Paterson in Devon.

Aristocratic Miss d’Erlanger, 27, was once touted as a potential bride for the Prince herself and was photographed with him on a cruise around the Greek Islands in 1999.  But she has been a trusted member of the Prince’s inner circle for years and has been a good friend to Kate, providing a shoulder to cry on when the pair briefly separated in 2007.

Strolling in the Spring sunshine yesterday, William and Kate looked relaxed and happy as they chatted with a blonde friend.

William & Kate not attending Swedish Royal Wedding

Sweden’s royal family were desperate to bag Prince William and his own lady-in-waiting Kate Middleton as star guests when Crown Princess Victoria weds fiancé Daniel Westling in summer.

But William has made it clear neither he nor Kate will be at the event in Stockholm. The prince is expected to say royal duties at the World Cup in South Africa will keep him away. Instead, Prince Charles will attend the wedding.

“He (William) would rather go anywhere than a royal wedding at the moment,” said a friend. “The Scandinavian royals are a lot more relaxed about protocol so Kate could go. But William feels it would be like firing a starting gun and their faces would be on souvenir tea towels by the time the service was over.”

Article: Daily Star

William & Kate heading to the Abbey next year?

A real source?… or just another speculative article repeating what already has been said?…

Secret plans for Prince William to wed Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in August next year are being drawn up, reveals The People UK.

“The thought of a William and Kate getting married on a grey cold November day is unthinkable”, says a highly-placed source. “The truth is that August 2011 is already pencilled in. Originally, 2012 was considered but that summer will be dominated by the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as well as the Olympics. Some senior Royals thought Westminster Abbey would be too sombre because it is where Diana’s funeral was held. But the majority view was that the Abbey funeral was actually an uplifting and hitch-free event, and as it is the place where the world said goodbye to his mother it would add to William’s wedding.”

Though they plan to do everything to avoid comparison from Prince Charles and Diana’s 1981 wedding, William & Kate are expected to kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Article: The People





Kate’s Ex Won’t Dish Dating Dirt

The race is on to publish the first definitive book on Prince William’s romance with Kate Middleton. Three royal commentators have secured publishing deals to produce accounts of the couple’s 8-year relationship and all have been doing their best (or worst) to find out about Kate’s love life before she fell for Wills. However, none have succeeded in wringing any salacious admissions from the lucky chap who was Kate’s first love: Willem Marx who now works as a journalist. Willem, 28, met Kate while both were at Marlborough College and, according to a contemporary, is the boy who “first broke her heart”.

Intriguingly Kate turned to Willem when she briefly broke up with Prince William. During their time apart Kate took Willem to Boujis, where they danced and drank Crack Daddy cocktails. He later visited the Kate’s Chelsea flat. (The picture accompanying the story recounts Kate’s night out with Willem, but at that time, there were no reports of Wills & Kate having trouble. In fact, articles said Wills knew and was comfortable with Kate and Willem’s friendship).

But a source close to Kate tells The Express: “She is aware that various people are attempting to make money from writing about her and that there have been efforts to contact Willem. But the truth is there are no skeletons in her cupboard and she is lucky to have – as does Prince William – a loyal and close-knit group of friends who she can trust.”

Article: The Express

Prince William to marry? Will he escape the Wales curse?

An overview of William and Kate’s relationship, comparing it with failed marriages of previous Princes of Wales. An amusing read…

Column: Politics Daily

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William & Kate’s New Life in the Welsh Countryside

Apr 17

Posted by britishroyals in Kate Middleton*, Prince William, Princess Diana | No Comments

It is more than an hour to the nearest chic shopping centre and a world away from glitzy West End nightclubs, but Kate Middleton is busy mapping out a new life living in the Welsh countryside. Kate’s future lies in a North Wales farmhouse where she and Prince William plan to spend a growing amount of time together in the next few months. It could even end up being their first marital home.

A friend of the couple tells Richard Palmer that, for the moment at least, Kate intends to continue working for her family’s Berkshire-based business, Party Pieces, but is likely to spend an increasing amount of time with William in North Wales, where he will be based as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot for the next 3 years. William moved into a farmhouse this week to allow him and Kate more privacy.

As a Flight Lieutenant co-pilot earning around £35,000 a year, Prince William will work 24-hour shifts, sleeping at his base when on duty.  He will work 3 of those 24-hour shifts in a 6-day period and in times of emergency, such as widespread flooding, could be on call the next day, meaning he will have to be within an hour of the base.

But there will be long periods off in each month, while at other times he will be doing routine training. Typically, he will work 7 or 8 shifts a month and normally no more than 10. The job has its dangers. Emergency calls can be treacherous in bad weather and William is likely to find himself in some challenging situations. But this is exactly why he choose RAF Valley and its challenging terrain.

Life in a secluded countryside might have its down side, but it may bring the privacy the couple yearns. While William will continue with his royal obligations, looks like we won’t be seeing too much ribbon-cutting for years to come.

Article: The Express





On a lighter note, here’s another Kate – Diana fashion comparison.  It’s definitely not new.  As usual, the papers probably just need something to fill their pages…

Article with side-by-side pictures: Kate Middleton takes style inspiration from Prince William’s late mother (Daily Mail)

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William’s Picture Sells for £24,000

Apr 17

Posted by britishroyals in Prince William | No Comments

Prince Williams portrait raises big money

Prince William's portrait raises big money

A unique art work combining photographs which Prince William and an ex-homeless man took of each other sold for £24,000 at auction on April 15. The double portrait, known as a diptych, of William with hair controversially darkened by studio lighting and editing, and former rough sleeper-turned photographer Jeff Hubbard, was sold at Christie’s in London to raise money for homeless charity Crisis.

The sale attracted wealthy bidders, including Sir Elton John, represented by his partner David Furnish, and Hong Kong billionaire Sir David Tang but the auction house refused to say who had bought the Prince’s picture.

William, who spent an hour at a reception inside the auction house before going on to host a Clarence House dinner for wealthy donors to the Royal Marsden Hospital, added to the value of the diptych by signing his photograph of Hubbard, 54. In a speech, he contrasted the opulence of his surroundings at Christie’s with the plight of the 400,000 homeless people in Britain.

“The problem is all around us; just a few yards from this magnificent auction house, there will be people preparing for a night on the streets. People not so dissimilar from you and me tonight, just with their dreams and aspirations, for reasons often beyond their control, now eclipsed by fear and anxiety, robbing them of hope. It is organisations like Crisis that pick up the pieces of broken lives, giving homeless people the confidence to start over by restoring hope.”

The auction helped raise a total of £305,600 for Crisis. William’s portrait was the highest selling bid.

Articles: The Express | Daily Mail

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Prince William’s First SAR Posting – North Wales!

Apr 15

Posted by britishroyals in Kate Middleton*, Prince William | 1 Comment

Prince William's first posting: RAF Valley in North Wales

Prince William will be posted to RAF Valley in Anglesey when he qualifies as a Search and Rescue pilot later this year, St James’s Palace has announced. The 27-year-old royal is currently training on the same base off the coast of North Wales and has opted to remain on the isolated island for his first 3-year posting. His training ends in September. He will immediately join Number 22 Squadron as a fully qualified, fully operational squadron pilot flying the Sea King 3A helicopter.

Initially, William will act as the helicopter’s co-pilot. Promotion to captain, and in effect command of the aircraft, is dependent on his performance. A typical tour for a pilot on the Search and Rescue Force is 30 to 36 months.

This news comes as a bit of a surprise to some royal watchers, as they suspected William to have chosen a base closer to girlfriend Kate Middleton. But apparently, he chose between 2 options: RAF Valley, or RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland — both very remote places, and as far from London as it gets. Perhaps William highly prefers a private life in the country. This location can mean either one of two things: (1) an extended long distance relationship with Kate for the next 3 years; or as Daily Mail suspects, (2) spending the first few years of married life with Kate in family quarters close to his base, and away from London. Which will it be? We’ll just have to “wait and see”…

William has in recent months been living in a secluded cottage in RAF Valley, where Kate could visit privately. He’s likely to keep this residence for the rest of his posting.

Articles: Daily Mail | BBC | Telegraph

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‘Suspect’ William and Kate Bet

Apr 15

Posted by britishroyals in Kate Middleton*, Prince William | No Comments

A bookie refused a posh punter’s £2,000 bet on Prince William’s wedding date – fearing he knew the Royals. The dapper, well-spoken gent with a “military bearing” walked in with a wedge of £20 notes at William Hill near Windsor Castle, Berks. The man, in his late 20s, had not been in before and staff suspected he worked at the castle or was an army pal of William who is not yet engaged to girlfriend Kate Middleton

Manager Luke Tear, 21, said: “He wore a blazer, smart trousers, gleaming shoes and tie – not like our daily punters. We smelt a rat and turned him down so he put his wedge of notes back in his pocket, about turned and marched out.” The customer did not wager on a specific date, but was betting that William and Kate would marry some time this year.

The firm’s security are studying CCTV to try to identify the would-be punter.  Buckingham Palace said only William and Kate would know of any possible date.


Articles: The Sun | The Express

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Lovely Bubby Prince Harry

Apr 14

Posted by britishroyals in Prince Harry | No Comments

**Updated with denial from St. James’ Place**

Generous Prince Harry treated complete strangers to £200 bottles of vintage champagne on a £10,000 booze bender. He splashed out the small fortune in the VIP section of his favourite Boujis nightspot. Harry arrived at Boujis in Kensington with chums on Friday, but girlfriend Chelsy Davy was not among them.

Clubber Mustafa Ahmed said: “My mate saw Harry and we bought him a bottle of champagne because we like the guy. He’s a bit of a hero as he fought for his country. Half an hour later he returned the favour with interest and bought us two bottles. He must have had about 15 bottles of champagne on his table and I reckon he splashed out on more than double that for other people, he was really generous. The bottles go for £200 a pop in there, but he just kept ordering. He must have shelled out about £10,000 in about four hours.”


Article: The Sun

**Update** Alas, St. James’ Place denied the story with this statement: “Prince Harry spent approximately an hour and-a-half at the nightclub, where he enjoyed a bottle of beer and a glass of champagne. Prince Harry did not buy anyone else any drinks.” Apparently, his night out in London was hosted by a friend.

The Sun also printed an apology with the headline “Sorry, Harry.”  “Prince Harry did not go on a bender and spend £10k on champagne at a nightclub as we suggested in Monday’s paper. We are happy too clarify this and wish Harry the best off luck in his exams!”


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