Prince William has his own PR spin-doctor

The Telgraph's Mandrake is reporting a royal exclusive that Prince William is about to get his very own PR spin doctor, to deal with the increasing press interest in the prince. Although the article is quick to suggest that this move is in preperation for William's ever impending engagement to Kate Middleton, a friend of the 26 year old prince apparantly confided that:

"William wants to start having more say over his own life and thinks that a dedicated press officer could help him achieve that"

Indeed, in the face of William's recent spate of bad publicity after the Chinook fiasco, perhaps having someone to deal with inquiries about his personal life is a smart decision.

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Kate Middleton is spotted at Wimbledon

Kate Middleton made another high profile outing this week as she attended People's Saturday at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. In what has become something of an annual tradition for Kate who attended the two week tennis tournament last year, Kate was seen chatting and giggling with female companions.

Kate's high profile socialising and partying is at stark contrast to Prince William who is currently on a two month training course with the Royal Navy, as part of his intentions to experience all branches of the British armed forces he will one day be head of. If Kate is to be his consort, surely her time would be better employed in pursuing a profession or lending her name to a charitable cause?

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Kate Middleton's surprise attendance at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert

For royal watchers who were expecting the presence of Prince William or Prince Harry at the concert to celebrate the 90th birthday of former South African leader Nelson Mandela, it was a let down to say the least when Prince William's on off girlfriend Kate Middleton attended in the place of any representative for the British royal family. The event was a celebration of Nelson Mandela, arguably one of the most inspirational human beings alive today, who was imprisoned for 27 years and led the struggle against aparthaid. Proceeds from the concert went to the 46664 charity, named after Nelson Mandela's old prison number.

Kate 26, was photographed sitting with a VIP tag around her kneck and chatting to Virgin media magnate Richard Branson's daughter Holly. Throughout the concert Kate was seen smiling and looking directly at the photographers she has repeatedly in the past complained of intruding on her privacy.

Kate's attendance at the concert for Nelson Mandela, marks a second solo visit to a high profile event in the place of Prince William who is on a two month training course with the Royal Navy. Last month she also was a guest at the wedding of William's cousin Peter Phillips on her own.

However, many royal observers have been wondering why Kate Middleton, a self proclaimed "private individual" has agreed so willingly to attend these events, in the place of no public engagement to Prince William, it seems Kate does not know her place.

Click here to view pictures of Kate at the concert.
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Princess Beatrice's night out at new London hotspot White Mist

You know it's a slow news day when the reporters at the Daily Mail resort to writing an article on Princess Beatrice getting a black napkin caught on the bottom of her shoe on a recent night out to the newly opened White Mist, which is side venture of the royal favourite Mahiki. Beatrice stepped out in a pretty summer dress with her boyfriend Dave Clark.

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"Harry-mania" as Prince Harry visits the Royal Norfolk agricultural show

"Harry-mania" hit the Royal Norfolk show as Prince Harry paid a visit the agricultural event. Wearing a smart suit and tie, the third-in-line to the throne was ambushed by a gaggle of admiring female fans who had come to meet the prince. Harry proved to be a good sport and gamely posed for photographs.

The 22-year old prince was there to to mark the centenary of the granting of the Royal Charter to the show's organiser, the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association. Harry made good use of his time by chatting to farmers and taking in the show's many attractions.

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'Friends' reveal Kate Middleton refused Queen's invite to Royal Ascot

An article in the Mail on Sunday has claimed that Kate Middleton refused an invite from non other than the Queen to host her own table at this year's Royal Ascot horse racing show, over fears that Kate would be seen as a stand in for Prince William.

The article written by Katie Nicholl, goes onto reveal an explanation of Kate's refusal of the personal invite from a 'friend';

Kate was all set to take the table after having been personally invited by the Queen. She then had second thoughts and politely declined the offer

However, royal watchers have expressed their disbelief of this story due to Kate's solo appearance at William's cousin Peter Phillips' last month.

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Chelsy Davy gets a little tipsy at the opening night of a new club Whisky Mist

Wearing a white sundress teamed with her favourite pearl earrings, Prince Harry's girlfriend Chelsy Davy was photographed leaving the opening night of Whisky Mist, a new branch of Royal favourite Mahiki, looking a little disheveled.

The Zimbabwean student, 22, was joined by the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson and her daughter Princess Beatrice, and celebrities including film maker Guy Ritchie.

Perhaps Chelsy was celebrating the end of her first year of her Law degree?

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Prince William becomes patron of submarine memorial

Prince William has become the patron of HMS Alliance Conservation Appeal, a multi-million pound appeal to conserve the last remaining World War II submarine and to honour those who gave their lives serving in the navy.

The memorial service will recognise the names of the 5,300 submariners who have died while in service between 1904 and the present day. And will also give Prince William, who is currently on a two month traing course with the Royal Navy, a chance to see the navy's first ever submarine.

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Zara Phillips prepares for the Olympics

With the 2008 Beijing Olympics fast approaching, the Queen's grandaughter Zara Phillips joined fellow members of Great Britain's eventing team for a training day at the Unicorn Centre in Stow-on-the Wold. Zara, who has already won an individual gold medal for three day eventing in the World Equestrian Games, spoke of her fears over her horse Toytown being injured before the Olympics;

"The only thing I'm worried about now is him. Before Athens I was only long-listed, so I don't know if I would have been chosen, but now I'm in the team the important thing is to get on the plane."

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P Diddy's admits to wanting to meet the Queen

With a fortune estimated to be worth more than $500 million, rap mogul Sean 'P Diddy' Combs is a man hard to impress. However in an interview with the UK's Telegraph, he admits the one person who would leave him starstuck is the Queen;

"There is one person I really want to meet: the Queen of England. I don't know why I've never met her." He looks affronted. "She's never invited me to the palace - not yet, anyway."



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Australians honoured in Queen's Birthday Honour List

Prominent figures from the media and entertainment world in Australia, have recieved honours for outstanding achievements in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, it has been announced. 320 men and 138 women have been honoured with an Order of Australia award. Amongst them include; former Australian prime minister John Howard, entertainment mogul Reg Grundy and television network chairman Kerry Stokes.

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Kate Middleton: The girl with a million expressions

Talk about animated expressions good enough to win an Oscar! That was the case for Kate Middleton who grimaced, laughed, screamed, cheered and cooed her way through an evening of boxing. The onff girlfriend of Prince William attended the Boodles Boxing Tournament at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel and left an indelible mark on those watching her. Kate, who was wearing a pink satin dress, hammed it up for the cameras whilst watching Wills' old pal James 'The Badger' Meade get the living daylights beaten out of him (embarrassingly lasting only one very short round). And to top the night off, Kate and Wills were spotted dancing the night away and partaking in a few Ivan the Terrible Vodkas.

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Prince Harry plays polo as Chelsy looks on

Chelsy Davy has watched Prince Harry and his team lose the Dorchester Cup at Cirencester Park on Sunday. The Daily Mail quoted an onlooker: "Chelsy was here, watching from a VIP tent, along with some other members of Hurlingham, the club William and Harry both play for. She was getting quite excited. The Prince was just getting on with business - he's much more concerned about raising money for his charity when he's playing polo. Chelsey is very good at keeping out of the way for these sorts of events."

Harry's team Umbogo was beaten by Laird who scored 8 to 6 1/2.

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Royals rumble at boxing match

Princes William & Harry and their respective girlfriends Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy have attended the annual Boodles Boxing Ball at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in Bayswater. Kate wore a pink satin dress with a plunging neckline whilst Chelsy wore royal blue. The couple left the venue in seperate cars, Wills with Kate and Harry with Chelsy.

Watch this space for more news on the royal night out!

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Monaco royalty is looking good

Charlotte Casiraghi attended a gala dinner in London on Saturday night, with all proceeds going towards the Raisa Gorbachev foundation. Charlotte looked stunning in an off white/grey dress with one shoulder bare. Meanwhile, older brother Andrea is celebrating his 24th birthday on Sunday.

Click here to see pictures of Charlotte in London.

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Queen Elizabeth's advisors not diverse enough for Labour

British Justice Minister Michael Wills has condemned Queen Elizabeth's advisors as being "too white". The Labour man accused the Queen's lord lieutenants as lacking diversity and said they were in danger of losing the confidence of the public. Speaking to other MPs investigating Labour’s constitutional reforms, Mr Wills said: “We have to make sure that lord lieutenants – who play an extremely important part in our civic life – continue to command the confidence of all of our constituents. “At the moment they do, but diversity and proper representation are going to be important for that to continue in the future – there is no question of that.”

The Conservative Party scoffed at Mr Wills' claims, with Tory MP Andrew Turner saying: “Once again the Government is messing around unnecessarily with something that works perfectly well. Lord lieutenants are getting on with their job – the minister admits there has not been a single complaint about them. It is just pointless political correctness. It seems mad to be making a fuss about this when there are so many more important things to deal with.”

Buckingham Palace refused to get involved in the debate except to say: “We do not put the names forward. Any questions about the nominations are very much a matter for Government.”

The Queen's Lord Lieutenants organise any official visits, represent HM at events, help nominate honour recipients and magistrates and about a third are women.

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Wee Princes William & Harry

The Daily Star has given it's readership a new look at Princes William & Harry. The tabloid caught the princes rummaging about in the bushes, looking for a place to pee. The princes were playing polo at Longdole Polo Club playing in the Dalwhinnie Crook charity tournament, in which their team, Umbogo won.

According to the Daily Star, Wills was spotted entering the bushes for relief. One onlooker told the tabloid: “He must have been gagging for a pee because he was fiddling with his flies before he was even in the bushes. Luckily his back was to the car park but he didn’t make much of an attempt to hide what he was doing.”

Meanwhile Prince Harry must have needed to go more, having stood in the bushes in front of a blonde spectator. A source said: “He hardly seemed to bother with the bushes at all – he just let it all hang out. “Another player came past on a horse and he must have got a great bird’s eye view of exactly what Prince Harry was up to.”

Although a natural occurance for all of us, it seems the princes pee for other reasons. A source said: “It’s become a sort of good luck thing, like knocking on wood. They have to go or they feel like they’re not going to do their best.” Me thinks it's just a male thing.

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The public losing faith in Kate Middleton

It seems that Kate Middleton may be losing her gloss in the face of some harsh criticisms this past week. It all started with a stinging Mail On Sunday article that claimed Her Majesty, the Queen was not at all pleased with Kate's lack of employment. Then the media jumped onboard and echoed the growing opinions of royal fans and the public alike. The latest media outlet to join in on the "Unemployed Princess Kate" debate is The Times.

Times columnist Rachel Johnson has published what many believe is a sensible, well balanced piece on Kate's lack of work. Ms Johnson writes: 'Kate gives the appearance of having abandoned all hope of normal life (a life that should, by rights, include a crap job, slutty attire and Krakatoa cocktails) in favour of sitting it out as a “waity Katy” until the magic moment when William drops on one knee and she finally becomes a living, breathing, fairy-tale princess as opposed to one of the frothy tutu-wearing, wand-waving pink moppets of her parents’ catalogue, which is the closest most of us will ever come to royalty.'

Ms Johnson then identifies with the alleged sentiments of the ageing monarch, saying: 'The Queen must surely feel this is not clever PR. As an 82-year-old monarch who has devoted her life to duty and service, she clearly has little sympathy with the idea that a young woman who might one day be queen should be whiling away the interregnum by hitting Boujis. Indeed, Her Majesty is known to favour the young female royals who “do” something, such as Sophie Wessex and Lady Helen Taylor. Even Fergie, for all her faults, is these days more fairly described as the Duchess of Work than the Duchess of Pork.'

In her article, Ms Johnson gives very valid reasons why Kate should work. She writes: "In this credit-crunchy climate - when 99.9% of women are forsaking designer shops for Oxfam or eBay and cancelling holidays and struggling to meet bills - the sight of a princess-in-waiting on perma-holiday is out of synch. Big time. After all, both William and his brother are in the armed services and the other young royals are mostly working parents. (It is with justifiable pride that Viscount Linley describes himself as “a carpenter”)." Her second reason was equally as sensible: "most very rich people, and especially the Queen, know that a life of pampered idleness, especially one in the bosom of the royal family, is a breeding ground for unhappiness. I’m not thinking of Diana, who was always determined to work with children and the underprivileged, but of the late Princess Margaret, who had so little to do that she filled in time by washing the coral she had collected on holiday in the Caribbean or by sticking the sides of matchboxes onto tumblers (so that she could light cigarettes more easily while drinking whisky)."

As she gains nicknames such as "Waity Katy" and "Duchess Doolittle" Kate probably hasn't realised just how much goodwill there was for her as the girlfriend of Prince William. After years of pampered behaviour, seemingly endless holidays and nights out, it looks as though Kate has lost touch with the very people she was supposed to represent. In fact it seems the public are now turning off "Waity Katy" in droves with two polls showing that she's losing popularity and fast.

A Daily Mail poll asked respondents: 'Should Kate marry Prince William?'. 52% said no whilst 48% said yes. Although close, had this poll been conducted one or two years ago it would have overwhelmingly been in Kate's favour. The other poll posted by Gulf News ended in similar results. The poll asked: 'Is Kate Middleton a good choice for the future Queen of England?'. 55% of respondents said no whilst 45% said yes. Again, take this poll back a year or two and the results would have been overwhelmingly Kate friendly.

So what's changed? With the growing financial pressures being placed on the public via fuel and essential goods price increases, it seems that generally most people are not enamoured with the thought of a future Queen who does nothing and who will eventually sap their precious taxpaying dollars. Kate, who has allegedly taken twenty-one holidays (+ long weekends) in just two years, doesn't seem to any longer have that "normal" or "middleclass" connection with the public she was reported to have.

The final word in it all must be given to Rachel Johnson: "So if Her Majesty has told William’s girlfriend to get on one’s bike, it is partly because she knows that life will never be the same again for Kate if she joins the firm and that she needs to make the most of her civilian status while it lasts. One day her prince may come and she might be Queen Catherine. But meanwhile, being plain Kate Middleton is her last chance to be a wage slave, to lead from the front, to do her own washing-up and to show rich, kept women that they can do something more worthwhile with their lives. She mustn’t blow it."

Click here to read more about Kate's employment woes.

It's not nice to pull faces at Queen Elizabeth II

Normally it's not good manners to pull faces but when you're Britain's World Champion Gurner you have a good excuse. Looking decidely unamused, The Queen watched as the number 1 world gurner, Tommy Mattinson displayed his talents. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh were visiting the Beacon Museum in Whitehaven, Cumbria when they were faced with some of what's on show at the World Gurning Championships being held at nearby Egremont Crab Fair. The face pulling prompted Prince Philip to say: 'Don't do that for too long or your face will stay like that.'

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OMG it's Prince Harry *scream*

That was the scene in Wales as Prince Harry arrived at the University Hospital in Cardiff to meet nurses and staff who have worked as part of the Dolen Cymru (Wales Lesotho Link).

As Harry emerged from his car he was greeted with a throng of admirers, reminiscent of the greeting so often given to his mother Diana, The Princess of Wales. Harry seemed a little amused by the attention and as he met with enthusiastic locals, he even held a 5-month-old baby, Lexi Hailstone. With the baby in his arms Harry joked: "She's going to cry," before showing her off to the waiting media and adding: "It's a girl. It's not mine."

Earlier Prince Harry visited Cathays High School where he met another red-headed young man saying: "I'm ginger - gingers love gingers." Whilst there Harry was given a rock stars welcome with screaming and crying school girls taking pictures of the prince with mobile phones.

Prince Harry then made his first speech whilst attending a conference at the Millennium Stadium for organisations supporting development and change in Lesotho. Harry said: “In 2004 in my own gap year I spent 10 weeks in Lesotho on a variety of projects. It was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life, and it opened my eyes in so many different ways. I don’t need to tell this audience how amazing Lesotho is or how incredible the people are. As you all know, if you’ve ever heard a group of Basotho children sing you simply can’t turn your back on them.”

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Prince William all out to sea for training

Prince William has been dumped at sea and then winched into a hovering helicopter it was revealed. According to This Is Dorset, the prince was undergoing training with about 8 other sailors onboard 40-foot passenger vessel 'Enchantress' in Portland Harbour when he was winched from the sea as part of a training exercise with the Royal Navy.

White Water Boat operator Paul Compton, who supplied the 'Enchantress' told This Is Dorset: "Obviously this was a Royal Navy recruit with a bit of a difference but it went perfectly. He was part of a group of around eight trainees and the helicopter flew over and picked him up, no problem."

The exercise was part of a 3 week initial training course which will see William learn basic boat handling, navigation and sea safety skills. Mr Compton added: "We knew Prince William would be arriving some time this month but we weren't told exactly when for security reasons. Also, this is his first week and he is just a sailor doing his basic training so we didn't want there to be lots of fuss."

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Princess Beatrice to work in the media

According to reports, Britian's Princess Beatrice of York is set to work for the Financial Times. The grand-daughter of the Queen is currently undertaking work experience with Selfridges as a personal shopper for VIP customers. Beatrice will reportedly be working within the Financial Times web department, writing for the newspaper's blog 'Alphaville' as well as it's quarterly glossy magazine 'How to Spend It'.


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Grace Kelly not America's first princess

According to one press report, Princess Grace of Monaco was not the first American to become a princess. The honour goes to New Orleans-born Alice Heine. Heine was married to Prince Albert I in 1889. Prince Albert I was the great-grandfather of Princess Grace's husband, Prince Rainier III.

Click here to read more about Monaco's Royal Family.

Crown Princess Mary attends UN conference

Denmark's Crown Princess Mary has attended a United Nations conference in Copenhagen. The conference discussed humanitarian aid and was opened by the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Toernaes.

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Her Majesty 'Clean' Elizabeth II

Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has revealed that The Queen cleans up after her guests. Speaking to Itay's "A" magazine, Mrs Blair said that whilst an invited guest of Her Majesty and Prince Philip at Balmoral, she was amazed to see the monarch cleaning up the dinner plates and clearing the table. Mrs Blair said: 'The Queen helps clear away the dishes with other members of the Royal Family and the first year I was there I tried to help. But tradition says it is the Queen and her family who have to clear away for their guests. It was extraordinary to watch, especially for someone from my background. The first time we went there Prince Philip saw how interested I was in the barbecue and he very kindly gave us one. I can't wait to use it in our country home - when we were at Downing Street we never got a chance.'

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Prince Harry makes a tuxedo look good!

Prince Harry has been photographed leaving the iconic Mayfair nightclub Annabel's at 2.20am in the morning. Dressed in a tuxedo, Harry amazed the throng of paparazzi photographers with his fresh appearence after attending a black tie dinner with fellow Blues and Royals colleagues.

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Chelsy Davy parties with pals

Chelsy Davy has been pictured enjoying a night of fun whilst celebrating a pals birthday this past week. The happy snaps show Chelsy drinking what appears to be champagne and pulling funny faces but definately not drunk.

Similar snaps were published by the British tabloids late last year and not everyone was pleased about that, least of all Chelsy's chums. The photographs in question were reportedly taken by friends of Chelsy and posted on their Facebook accounts. Some of the friends are now seeking legal advice from Harbottle & Lewis, the UK's top Privacy lawfirm. According to some press reports Kirsten Rogers, Teo Van Den Broeke and Anna Lawrence all have sought advice alledging that their photos were used without their permission.

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Prince Harry supports struggling 80's band

Struggling 80's band Daniel Takes A Train split before recording a song but during their official comeback gig at the Troubadour in Earls Court on Saturday night, they earnt a royal fan in Prince Harry. The band spotted the prince and when they approached him he happily posed in photographs with band members Emma Gary andRupert Bloomfield. Ms Gray gave Harry a band t-shirt, telling the royal "perhaps you can just wear it in bed or clean the TV with it".

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Media sniffs out Lazy Kate Middleton story...finally!

Many royal fans have been saying it for a few years now and finally it seems the British media have caught up. Kate Middleton and her lack of employment has been a hot topic for royalists since the onff royal girlfriend graduated from university over 3 years ago. Her flip-flopping from perhaps designing her own children's clothing line to her sometimes work at Jigsaw, Kate Middleton could hardly be called hard working. Yet the media has seemingly turned a blind eye (Kate blinkered more like it) to the facts that have been staring them in the face for a while. So it was with much relief that the subject of "What does Kate actually do all day" was raised by the Mail On Sunday. Now it seems, other media outlets are taking up the cause and asking all the right questions.

The Mirror's straight talking, no nonsense Sue Carroll has agreed with the Queen saying in her column: "I'm with her on this. Her Maj has devoted her life to duty mindful of the fact that, unless her privileged family are seen to serve a useful purpose, the future of the Monarchy would be in jeopardy. It can hardly have escaped her attention that William's girlfriend appears to be fit for little except falling out of nightclubs, enjoying girlie lunches and exerting herself only on a gym treadmill."

Meanwhile, the Evening Standard's ES Magazine Editor, Catherine Ostler also joined the growing chorus of Kate-discontents with her astute observations on the 'Kate problem': "Six tiaras for £2.25, a pink, blue or lilac ballgown for £39.99 and a cardboard Princess stagecoach lunch box (the drink goes where the carriage is, the sandwiches where the footman sat) … These discount Princess wares are available at the Middleton parents’ exhaustive party accessory website, Party Pieces. Could it be that having parents who peddle little girls’ princess fantasies for a living has got to Kate Middleton? She seems to have decided, Disney-fashion, that dressing up prettily and waiting to be a princess is an occupation in itself."

As with Ms Carroll, Ms Ostler agrees with the ageing monarch and takes a dim view on Kate's lack of a sound work ethic saying: "The Queen certainly seems to think it has. Apparently she has let it be known that she thinks Kate should get a full-time job, as the monarchy should be “modern” and set an example. Still industrious and public-spirited at 82, it’s understandable that she is bemused by her grandson’s girlfriend’s Wag lifestyle. A day is said to include a workout in the Clarence House gym and a trip to her favourite Sloane Street hairdresser before hitting Boujis. Fine for an airhead 20-year-old party girl hellbent on spending some vast inheritance, but you might suspect that a 26-year-old history of art graduate could be a little bored by this life as one long holiday." She continued: "Perhaps, like many in her age group, she simply doesn’t know what to do. Nothing seems to have quite worked out so far. Four days a week at Jigsaw’s head office in Kew obviously didn’t appeal; and talk of assisting Mario Testino evaporated (can you see her standing on location somewhere for hours holding a light meter?). If Kate is to shake off this old-fashioned and rather undignified image of a girl with nothing to do but wait for her prince, she must unearth a passion, or at least an interest in something other than helping out her parents with the odd picture for their website. In this sense, Diana was lucky, as she always wanted to work with children and the underprivileged."

With these criticisms have come some very useful advice. Ms Ostler tells Kate to use the degree she gained or perhaps undertake some more university study just as Chelsy Davy has. But the last word must go to Sue Carroll who echoes the thoughts of many royal fans: "Prince Charles is married to a woman who doesn't know the meaning of a proper day's work and never will. Clearly the Queen has no intention of letting history repeat itself with her grandson."

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Ahoy! Prince William's first day in the navy

Prince William has happily showed off his naval skills during a carefully orchestrated photo-opportunity on board a converted mine-hunter moored on the River Dart. The Prince, who was spending his 2nd day in the navy posing for the press, slipped up when he had to swing a hammer to release a cable which in turn released the anchor. He missed on the first attempt and after some laughing, managed to release it with another blow. Naval tradition dictates that anyone who misses on their first hit must buy a crate of beer and to his credit, Wills agreed. An onlooker said: “He looked very much at his ease, concentrating on the task but laughing when he didn’t get it right first time. He did look a bit nervous the second time but he managed it. It is tradition though and he owes everyone a beer.”

Once William does go to sea he'll be sleeping in a two-berth cabin and will be waking up at 6.30am to have breakfast at 7.15am. Cdr Paul Halton, the director of training at the college said: “The vessel he was driving mimics in many respects how a frigate or a destroyer will handle, so that’s been a really important skill for him to learn. Some of the manoeuvres he did today would ordinarily take a young officer a number of weeks or months of training [to master] and he’s got the hang of it in just a day — so pretty good."

Meanwhile the emphasis seems to be on William being treated as one of the boys with Rear-Adml Cooling saying: “There may be a few stares when he queues up for the ship’s shop but after that he will be treated like any other junior officer. He will need to pull his weight in an emergency. He will walk down the passageway to the ‘head’, which is what we call the toilet facilities, just like everyone else. There will be no en-suite toilet facilities.”

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Women prefer James Bond to Prince William

According to a poll Prince William was voted the 4th top celebrity male women thought about whilst exercising. The poll was conducted by the Cancer Research UK's Race For Life 2008 series and asked which famous men women used as inspiration when working out. To most people's surprise ageing James Bond actor, Sean Connery topped the poll followed by David Beckham and celebrity chef Gordon "insert swear word" Ramsay. Natasha Woodford, head of the Cancer Research UK's Race for Life said: "It was surprising to find that Sean Connery beat David Beckham, who regularly tops the poll of the world's best looking men. But whether it is a famous heartthrob or a family member, it's always a good incentive to have someone waiting for you at the finish line, and we're sure there will be lots of people supporting our Race for Life participants at the events this year."

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Zara Phillips and Prince Harry are hatty winners

Prince Harry and Zara Phillips have both figured in the annual 'Celebrity Hat Wearers' awards held by the Luton hat-making trade. Zara won 1st place, with Luton milliner Philip Wright saying: "She has opted for the more masculine but highly-fashionable trilby and fedora hat styles, together with some of the neat, chic, 1920s-inspired designs. But she's also gone for fairly extravagant styles which are both fashionable and fun."

Meanwhile for the royal boys, Prince Harry came in 5th on a list that reads like a who's who of Hollywood. Unimpressed with the standard shown by most male royals, Mr Wright (who managed to slip in a reference to Kate Middleton) said: "We have the princesses and Kate Middleton waiting to take on Diana's fashion crown but we are still waiting for a Royal male to show a positive style lead."

The lists are as follow:
Girls:
1 Zara Phillips
2 Princess Beatrice
3 Paris Hilton
4 Sarah Jessica Parker
5 Naomi Campbell
Boys:
1 Brad Pitt
2 David Beckham
3 Jude Law
4 George Clooney
5 Prince Harry

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Prince Charles' love letters for sale online

Before Autumn Kelly met Peter Phillips, another royal romanced a Canadian. The affair between Prince Charles and Montreal based Janet Jenkins was a well known 'royal secret' for many years. The couple met while Jenkins was working with the British Consulate in Montreal in 1975 and engaged in a passionate affair for over 20 years. Janet was to Camilla what Camilla was to Diana - a threat to the Wales marriage and a lover/confidante to Charles. Charles and Janet would meet in Britain and Canada and talk on the phone every few months in between.

Whilst Prince Charles married Diana, fell out of love with Diana and then recommenced his relationship with Camilla, he indulged in nights of passion with Janet, the last night occuring in 1992. Before that, according to various sources, Janet and Charles met one night in October 1983 for one of their familiar 'interludes'. Janet, who spoke to the Sunday Mirror, said: "We slipped back into the familiar intimacy that predated the marriage. Neither of us thought of using protection." Allegedly 9 months later (June 13, 1984 according to one online source) Janet gave birth to a son.

What this all tells us is that the relationship was a major part of Prince Charles' life and now the secret is slowly revealing itself. Everythingroyal.com is selling a series of very revealing letters written by Prince Charles to Janet Jenkins in 1976 when he was onboard HMS Bronington. Dated March 23, July 6 and September 12, 1976 the letters reveal a very touching side to the 2nd in line to the British throne. In the letters Prince Charles writes: "it was enjoyable seeing you & marvelous to find you in such good form- though the form might have been a little better!" " I only wish I hadn't had to rush off to catch a train & thereby ruin a gloriously cozy evening". "What a pity you can't see my ship - very different from an aircraft carrier and much less entertaining, and doesn't go to exciting places like Montreal where ladies live behind bushes in order to pounce on unsuspecting navel officers." "I do hope all is well in Montreal - are you ever going to be ready for the Olympics? I do hope there is something for my mama to open in July!" "much love, Charles". " I wish I could come roaring across the Atlantic to make you feel less lonely." "I do hope you will be there because it would be glorious to have a chance of being alone with you for a moment." "I can't wait to see you again hopefully during a good month!!!" "Much love and a big anti lonely "hug". "I have rung you but you were out! I shall try again soon. I was in Iceland sometime ago fishing & rang before I left since there is no telephones out there. " "Much love, as always from Charles".

Costing $7,500.00 each, the 3 letters are all written on official stationary but be quick if you'd like to buy the set. According to everythingroyal.com's website they're closing down.

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Kate Middleton shows off her photography skills on family website

Kate Middleton was said to be learning photography. Considering the quality of photographs reportedly taken by her which are on public display on the Middleton family's 'Party Pieces' website, Kate could probably do with some more tuition.

The Mail On Sunday has revealed that Kate has spent the past few months working for Party Pieces, photographing new stock for it's website. It's a far cry from the abstract art she was said to be interested in producing. A quick look at the website reveals nothing more than some homely shots of young children, cakes and funnily enough, Carole Middleton.

A source told the Mail On Sunday: "It’s not what you would call a nine-to-five job. It’s an easy number for Kate and basically something to fill her days while she waits for William. Over the past few months, she has been at home with her family shooting pictures for the Party Pieces website. She has been joking that her days have been filled taking snaps of cupcakes and it’s all a bit surreal. She loves taking pictures, but when she said she wanted a career photographing unusual subjects, we didn’t expect it would mean pictures of toys."

Not known for her love of employment, Kate was purported to have only turned up at Jigsaw for 11 days out of a month and also indulged in up to 21 holidays/long weekends in just 2 years (January 2006 - present). But it seems not even the fact she is, rightly or wrongly, under public scrutiny will force her hand. A source told the Mail On Sunday that Kate had no immediate plans to work.

It seems that not everyone in her family is as job-shy. Kate's younger brother James is now "working" for the family business as well. A source told the Mail On Sunday: "Her brother James has dropped out of Edinburgh University to set up a new business venture. He has just launched The Cake Kit company, which is a sister company to Party Pieces, and Kate photographed all the images for that too. There’s a link to it and a plug on the Party Pieces website. The Middletons are very close and they love the idea of having a family business."

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George IV revisits Windsor Castle

According to reports, the ghost of King George IV, who died in 1830, is haunting Windsor Castle. Staff who are now so scared that they refuse to work at nights, have reportedly seen the late King hanging around the grave of the (also) late Queen Mother. A source told The People: "The Queen is aware of things going bump in the night at Windsor."

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The Queen tells Kate Middleton to get a job

The Mail on Sunday have revealed that the Queen is not amused with Kate Middleton's lack of work. According to the tabloid, the British monarch does not want Prince William to marry Kate until she secures fulltime employment. The Mail on Sunday reports that the ageing monarch is said to be very "concerned that a proposal would be both premature and ill-advised."

The Mail on Sunday quotes one royal source as saying: ‘The Queen has had conversations with a few trusted friends about how to tackle what is being called the Kate problem. On the few occasions the Queen has met Kate, she has thought she is a nice enough girl. But the Queen has admitted she has no idea what Kate actually does. Privately she is very concerned about what the repercussions could be if Kate is not in a stable job as and when William is ready to propose. The Queen is very close to her grandson and they, of course, discuss Kate. The Queen is very aware that it’s a serious and long-term relationship. Although they are not yet engaged, it seems more likely than not that Kate will be a Royal bride one day, and the Queen is of the opinion that Kate should be working. She believes in a modern Monarchy and feels very strongly that the Royals should be leading by example. That’s one of the reasons the Queen is so fond of Sophie Wessex. She was a hard-working career girl before she married Edward and she still works hard carrying out lots of charity work, despite raising a young family.’

Sources close to the family confirmed that Kate is yet to secure fulltime work, revealing that she has instead been working for her parents by taking pictures for their online store for Party Pieces. The source said: ‘It’s not what you would call a nine-to-five job. It’s an easy number for Kate and basically something to fill her days while she waits for William. Over the past few months, she has been at home with her family shooting pictures for the Party Pieces website. She has been joking that her days have been filled taking snaps of cupcakes and it’s all a bit surreal. She loves taking pictures, but when she said she wanted a career photographing unusual subjects, we didn’t expect it would mean pictures of toys. Her brother James has dropped out of Edinburgh University to set up a new business venture. He has just launched The Cake Kit company, which is a sister company to Party Pieces, and Kate photographed all the images for that too. There’s a link to it and a plug on the Party Pieces website. The Middletons are very close and they love the idea of having a family business.’

The article then quotes a friend who proceeds to detail William's desire for his girlfriend to work and what it is that Kate does all day long: 'It’s very important to William that Kate is seen to be working. For all the stick he gets, he actually works damn hard. Just before he went away to his friend’s wedding in Kenya – missing Peter Phillips’s Royal wedding two weeks ago – he was doing back-to-back charity work and in desperate need of a holiday. I’ve only seen Kate look that tired when she’s had a late night at Boujis. She spends her days keeping herself looking good. A typical day might begin with a workout, then lunch with a friend and a bit of shopping or a trip to Richard Ward, her favourite hairdresser in Sloane Street.’

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