He Liked It So Much He Put a Ring on It: The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

This is not a recap of the wedding of the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge per se. After watching about a zillion hours of royal wedding programming leading up to yesterday's nuptials, I'm a little burnt out.  Seriously, I felt I had waited almost as long as Kate for the wedding.  When Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, there was hoopla, but nothing like this.  I don't remember quite as many books or TV specials. Of course it was a different world. No internet, no Twitter, Facebook, or blogs.  What did we do back then in the stone age?

The only thing that was the same between that wedding and this was the sense of anticipation.  The biggest difference is here we have a royal couple who are genuinely in love with each other and enjoy each other's company.  The secret smiles they shared during the service, and the slight smirks from Prince William proved that this was an altogether different wedding. Not to mention the best man Prince Harry's stated intention to party all night long!

The night before the wedding, Catherine was at the Goring Hotel, spending her last night as a single woman in the bosom of her family.  Contrast that with Lady Diana who was alone at Clarence House with the Queen Mother. No friends, and no family to soothe any anxieties she might have had.  Prince William also spent the night with his family, Prince Charles and Prince Harry doing some male bonding.

I was lucky enough to be there in England when Prince Charles married Diana, and I remember thinking how surreal it was that a 19 year old girl was marrying a much older Prince and settling down before she had barely lived.  William and Catherine however have grown up together, he's eased her into the family, he's protected her from the beginning.  They are best friends as well as lovers.

However it didn't disappoint. What I loved about Catherine and William's nuptials was how they were able to make it seem like a family wedding, albeit a family with 1,900 guests.  It was royal yet it felt intimate at the same time. I loved that Catherine was able to keep her wedding dress a secret until the day of the ceremony (although already there's apparently backlash against Sarah Burton and the House of Alexander McQueen because they denied making the dress when they were asked. Seriously? What did the press expect them to say?).  I also loved that she didn't want William to see her until she was actually walking down the aisle. Loved that Prince Harry couldn't hellp turning around and then telling his brother that she looked fabulous. How sweet was that?


There were some nice moments during the ceremony. I liked that they both looked at each other when they said their vows.  Although who didn't get the giggles when William said for 'richer or for poorer'? How about just for rich? The whole thing with the wedding ring though, didn't he have that sized before they made it? Watching him having to shove her wedding ring on her finger kind of ruined the moment. Brother James Middleton's rather dramatic reading was a hoot, particularly since I think the Queen slept through it. He looked like he was auditioning to be the 2nd spear carrier in the new RSC production of Antony & Cleopatra.  I don't know what is orientation is, but I bet you he pulled last night at the evening reception at Buckingham Palace.

Love this photo taken on the balcony as the planes flyo overhead, little Grace van Cutsem was just not having it. The planes were too loud and it hurt her ears.

Official Family photo of the happy couple, Windsors on one side, Middletons on the other.  You just know the Pipster knows how gorgeous she looks.

The happy couple drive off in a vintage Aston-Martin with the vanity licence plate of JU5T WED on the back and a big L for learner's permit on the front. Love that Prince William was driving the car himself. Not too thrilled when he kept taking his hand off the wheel to wave to the crowds.  William, you now have a wife, let her do that while you drive.

Royal bridesmaid Pippa Middleton has apparently rocked the Internet after her appearance yesterday at the nuptials. It just goes to show you how confidant Kate is that she had no problem having her sister look as hot as she did in her dress.  According to the Daily Mail there are now Facebook pages devoted to her posterior.  Commenters yesterday were speculating that since it's something of a tradition for the maid of honor and the best man to hook up, that Prince Harry might try to hit on Pippa at the reception.  Two problems with that. One, I just don't think she's into him judging by this photo.

Doesn't it look like Harry just farted or told some really filthy joke? Pippa is clearly not amused by whatever he's saying.  Anyway, Pippa is dating Alexander Loudon, who was her date at the reception, where she showed up looking like this.

If you thought she looked hot at the wedding, just look at her now! Seriously what a gorgeous dress. It's an Alice Temperley and I can tell you, there are going to be knockoffs in the stores before the week is out.  The color looks amazing on Pippa, but I think she needs to lay off the self-tanner a bit. Not that it matters, because Pippa Middleton is now the most eligible bachelorette in the UK.

Ah, Chelsy Davy, Harry's on/off and apparently on again girlfriend, wearing one of the two Alberta Ferretti outfits that she bought for the day's festivities.  I'm sorry but she looks like Prince Harry pulled her into the vestibule for a quickie before the ceremony. (Come on, you totally know he's capable of it). The color totally doesn't suit her, it makes her look too pale and washed out.  It's also too tight in the wrong places, and her fascinator blends in with her hair. Not a good choice Chelse.

Speaking of bad fashion choices, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson looks like she bought her dress from the Elmo Collection. It's just too much blue. Seriously, blue shoes, blue hat, blue gloves, way too matchy-matchy. The dress on it's own might not have been bad with a pair of nude shoes, but right now she looks like a giant blueberry.

Ah, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, I see they inherited their fashion sense from their mother. There is so much wrong with both their outfits, I don't know where to start. Eugenie, on the left, is wearing Vivienne Westwood which would normally be a good thing but this time, her outfit makes her look like a Watteau shepherdess looking for her lost flock. The hat is hideous and her hair looks like she just rolled out of bed. Beatrice is wearing a Valentino which she has ruined by wearing a satellite dish on her forehead.

Catherine's dress for the dinner that Prince Charles threw for the couple at Buckingham Palace. Not as thrilled with it as I was with the dress, but god her waist is miniscule isn't it?

The royal couple leave for their weekend mini-honeymoon from the lawn at Buckingham Palace.  They look relaxed and very happy. Nice to see them holding hands! So different from when Charles and Diana left after the wedding breakfast on the day of their wedding.  Diana was wearing a pink dress and hat that wouldn't have looked out of place at Royal Ascot and Charles was in a stiff suit. They took a carriage to the station, before they headed off to Broadlands. I think I much prefer this casual but happy photo of William and Catherine.

Royal Honeymoons

So the day finally arrived, Prince William and Kate Middleton are now HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Didn't Catherine look lovely in her Alexander McQueen dress, designed by Sarah Burton, wearing the Halo tiara borrowed from the Queen (as her something borrowed)? Did you gasp when it looked like Prince William couldn't get the ring on her finger? And what about those two kisses? Now the question on everyone's mind is, where are these two crazy kids going on their honeymoon?

When it comes to packing for their royal honeymoon, might the couple be taking along swimwear and scuba gear?  The Sunday Mirror reported that the couple could be enjoying their honeymoon on Lizard Island – one among a chain of islands along the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Transportation to the island, "tipped as the most likely destination," according to the Mirror, requires a scenic hour-long flight from Cairns. The white sandy paradise isn't an unlikely post-nuptial destination for the pair. While speaking to Aussie locals last month on a trip to visit towns affected by Cyclone Yasi, William, 28, said, "I love scuba diving. I have always wanted to dive the [Great] Barrier Reef." He added: "I will have to come back – maybe we'll have a honeymoon in Cairns?"

The Duchess sparked that someplace warm might be their destination last week after she was spotted out shopping at Warehouse in London, scooping up $350 worth sundresses and tops. Another suggestion is that they could wind up in Jordan, where Kate spent part of her childhood, or they could return to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, hop the pond to Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, or visit the island of Corfu in Greece. Perhaps the island of Mustique where Princess Margaret used to have a villa or Eleuthera where Princess Diana was famously photographed wearing a bikini when she was pregnant with Prince William. All these places have been talked about but Palace sources have yet to confirm an official royal honeymoon destination which is driving the paparazzi crazy. How can they get those exclusive honeymoon shots which will no doubt net them a fortune (enough to retire on maybe) if they don’t know where the happy couple are going?

If it were me, I would head to Venice or Paris, but I have a feeling this couple are headed somewhere they can relax before they come back to the daunting task of sending out thank you notes (or emails in this modern age) to all their guests. But what about Scotland, a popular honeymoon destination for the Royal Family and where the couple famously met at university. Prince Charles took Princess Diana on a cruise on the royal yacht Britannia for their honeymoon, after spending the night at Broadlands, the estate that belonged to his great uncle Earl Mountbatten of Burma. However, he chose the Queen Mother's home, Birkhall, for his honeymoon with Camilla Parker-Bowles. Earlier on, Prince Philip and the Queen also had their honeymoon here. Also, Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy had their honeymoon in Birkhall. In 1999, Prince Edward and his bride Sophie Rhys-Jones flew to the family's Balmoral Castle in Scotland for the first leg of their honeymoon, according to The Times of London. The word is that they also spent their wedding night at Birkhall Lodge.

Chances are William and Kate will be spending at least part of their summer when the Queen decamps to Balmoral for the summer, but my bet is still someplace quiet where they can enjoy their first few days of married life. Whereever they go, I hope that they get to spend at least part of it without having to worry about photographers following their every move.

Royal Wedding: David, Viscount Linley and Serena Stanhope

"My children are not royal," Princess Margaret once said. "They just happen to have an aunt who is the Queen."

Technically this is only a royal wedding because Viscount Linley's late mother was the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret Rose, Countess of Snowden, but it's my blog and I really thought this wedding was lovely.

Princess Margaret's son, David Armstrong-Jones or Viscount Linley, married the Hon. Serena Stanhope on 8th October 1993 at St. Margaret's Church. The bride, 23, is the daughter of the Earl of Harrington, who owns a 700-acre estate in County Limerick and vast chunks of Kensington. Her mother, Virginia Freeman Jackson, was a debutante.

From the radiant looks on Viscount Linley and his bride, no one would have guessed that there was any tension behind the smiles. Indeed, the House of Windsor was on its best behavior, which was billed in the British tabloids as the Wedding of the Year. The grooms parents, Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon, who had a particularly acrimonious split,  managed to play nice by arriving together for the 3 p.m. wedding. The Queen looked relaxed as she stepped out of her Rolls with Prince Edward and the Queen Mum. And Princess Anne, who never really warmed to her wayward sister-in-law Princess of Wales, greeted her with a kiss. The wedding, however, was noticeable for who didn't show up.  Allegedly eager to avoid his estranged wife, Prince Charles hightailed it to Turkey on official business. For some reason, Prince Philip chose to be at a carriage-driving event in Gladstone, N.J. Prince Andrew at least had a legitimate excuse, he was on naval duty in Gibraltar, and of course Duchess of York was probably not invited beginning her years in the Royal wilderness.

What I find so interesting about this wedding is Serena's dress, whicch was designed by couturier Bruce Bobbins at a cost of $9,000, was reminiscent of Princess Margaret's 1960 wedding gown but reflected her own personality and taste.

As you can see from the pictures, both dresses featured a v-neck, long sleeves, tight waist, and very full skirt.  However Serena's was actually in two parts: a satin 'coat-dress', which buttoned down the front, and continued half-way down the skirt which was made out of silk, covered by multiple layers of tulle.  Princess Margaret's wedding dress, on the other hand, was made from silk organza with thirty  metres of fabric in the skirt alone. However, the embellishment on the dress was minimal which suited Princess Margaret’s delicate frame. Hartnell’s designs were much admired by the Princess, as she explains in The Englishwoman’s Wardrobe, he was ‘always so good at getting the balance right.’  Neither gown featured a long train which was unusual given the long trains featured on the wedding dresses of Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York. Since both women are petite, a long train would probably have overbalanced them.

Both Princess Margaret and Serena wore their hair up, enclosed by a tiara, from which a veil fell to the same length as the gown's train. Serena's  upswept blond hair was arranged by hairdresser Nicky Clarke for a reported $1,500.

 

The Poltimore tiara (see below), made in 1870 for Lady Poltimore, and was bought at auction especially for Princess Margaret.  Unfortunately, her children sold the tiara at auction after her death, which is such a shame because it is gorgeous. It would have looked lovely on Kate Middleton for her wedding, or even as an heirloom for little Margarita Armstrong-Jones to wear at her wedding.

Serena is wearing the Papyrus Motive Tiara. This tiara was bought by Queen Mary from Garrard's. She later gave it to Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Mother), Duchess of York. She in turn gave it to her daughter Princess Margaret. Serena Linley borrowed the tiara on the day the wedding.

Sources:  People Magazine, Hello Magazine, Majesty Magazine.

Viscount Linley goes professionally by the name David Linley, and is currently chairman of Christie's UK, the international auction house. He is the queen's only nephew and is also fourteenth in line to the throne, and the first person in the line of succession who is not a descendant of the queen. The couple have two children, the Honorable Charles Armstrong-Jones, born in 1999, and the Honorable Margarita Amstrong-Jones, who will be a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Royal Review: William and Kate

THE CAST
CAMILLA LUDDINGTON as Kate Middleton 
NICO EVERS-SWINDELL as Prince William
SERENA SCOTT THOMAS as Carole Middleton
VICTORIA TENNANT as Celia
CHARLES SHAUGHNESSY as Instructor
BEN CROSS as Prince Charles
AMANTHA WHITTAKER as Olivia Martin
TRILBY GLOVER as Margaret Hemmings-Wellington
JONATHAN PATRICK MOORE as Ian Musgrove
RICHARD REID as Derek Rogers
CHRISTOPHER COUSINS as Mike Middleton
THEO CROSS as Trevor Watson
LOUISE LINTON as Vanessa Rosemont Bellows
MARY ELISE HAYDEN as Pippa Middleton


Synopsis: “William and Kate” tells the story of how the friendship between Prince William, second in line to the throne of the British monarchy, and future princess Kate Middleton, the stunning daughter of upper-middle-class commoners, blossomed into a romantic love affair, charming the world with their recent engagement and eagerly awaited royal wedding. The film chronicles the history of William and Kate — from the moment they met at Scotland’s prestigious University of St. Andrews, through the ups and downs of their nine-year courtship complicated by social and royal-family pressures, and intense global media attention surrounding their storybook nuptials.

Gotham Gal says:  You knew I was going to watch this movie didn't you? How could I resist? I have watched every single TV movie good or bad (and mostly bad) since the very first movie starring Catherine Oxenberg as Diana back in the day. So I parked myself in front of my telly with a glass of port, and some Stilton cheese. Actually it was a glass of Diet Dr. Pepper and some popcorn but you get the idea.  I'm happy to report that "William & Kate" was just as cheesy and horrific. I loved the fact that they claim that the movie is based on 'true events.' Where, on Mars? Apart from the fact that Prince William is in it, and Kate Middleton, nothing in this movie resembles 'true events.' Did the filmmakers not read the myriad of books and articles written about this couple in the past 10 years? Of course not.

Rather than go through a blow by blow account of this film, I'm just going to pick out some of the cheesiest moments.

1) Ian Musgrove shows up at Prince William's dorm room and shoving his CV underneath the door, claiming that he's applying for the position of William's wingman.

This is the one scene in the film that I actually wish had happened in real life. It was awesome in its awfulness but pretty ballsy at the same time.  Seriously who wouldn't want a friend like that? The filmmakers then ruined it by having William tell his new friends how he tries to trick people by feeding them false information to see if they're loyal. Great now they know your secret, you dumb ass. I can't believe that the real William would reveal something like that after knowing someone for all of 5 minutes.

2) Prince William makes a move on Kate Middleton after the fashion show and she rebuffs him with almost a sneer.

Okay, first of all can we talk about the fact that they didn't even remotely get the dress right that she actually wore that night. Come on, it has to be one of the most iconic images of the 21st century. Someone actually spent almost $70,000 to buy it. How hard could it have been to fashion a replica. Loved how Kate just sashayed down the runway like a professional.

3) Kate Middleton sucks up to Prince Charles by telling him how she's read his articles on the environment for "years."

There's flattery and then there's blatant sucking up, and fake Kate crossed the line in this scene.

4). Kate has etiquette lessons after one too many Brittany Spears-like 'crotch shots' in the press.

The paparazzi would have loved if this had actually happened.  Still why worry about authenticity when you can mime comedy gold out of Kate learning how to curtsy, and getting in and out of limousines.

5) Kate and William sneak in and out of each other's bedrooms in the flat that they share with roommates.

Again more comedy gold to be had. Just the thought of Prince William creeping around on tip-toe into Kate's room was priceless, as was the scene where she hid under the covers when their other roommate came in.

6) Kate storms out of William's birthday party when he spends too much time with Jecca Craig and not with her (even though they are supposedly keeping their relationship a secret).

After being treated to a bit of snobbery at the party by one of their classmates who plays on Kate's insecurities about her background, a miserable Kate storms out with her girlfriends, and then refuses to speak to William for weeks. This is where the timeline gets wonky.  Prince William's birthday is June but Kate and William make up while skiing weeks later. Now either we, the viewers, are supposed to believe that she refused to talk to him for months even though they were living together, or somehow they found a ski resort that still has snow in July. However, we now come to the cheesiest scene of the evening.

7) William serenades Kate in a bar in Switzerland to win her back.

I'm telling you this made up for the hour of awfulness that I had to sit through to get to this scene. It was priceless watching faux Wills get his karaoke on. And he was dreadful which make it ten times better. If this had actually happened, the paparazzi would have had a field day. Seriously this would have hit YouTube before the end of the evening.

8) Kate and her friends drive in downtown Los Angeles, as the same London street scene goes by like on a loop as they discuss her relationship with William.

9) Kate and William break up in his car, and she gets out and goes storming off through the streets of London.

10) William comes to get Kate back while she is in the middle of a lake. 

The best part of this scene was when Kate dove into the water to swim back to shore. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if he had dove in at the same time and they had met in the middle. Seriously, this movie was such a steaming pot of fondue why not go all in? After all if Faux Wills can serenade Fake Kate in a bar, it wouldn't be beneath his dignity to swim to her to get her back. After all, he was the one who broke up with her.

The movie ends obviously with William proposing to Kate in Kenya before the final fade-out smooch.  It's almost beside the point to say that Camilla Luddington and Nico Evers-Swindell only bare the faintest of resemblances to Will and Kate, or that I've seen better acting in a high school play. We're not watching it for the acting. Beyond the dreadful script, what struck me about this TV movie was that Fake Kate dresses worse than real Kate. And the scenes of her working at Jigsaw were hysterical. There were three scenes in the film that smacked of any authentic emotion: 1) when Carole Middleton tells Kate not to mope and to show Prince William what he's missing and 2) when Prince William and Prince Charles have an honest conversation about Charles, Camilla and Diana and 3) Prince William in the kitchen cooking at University and mucking it up.

What's missing? No scenes with Camilla, no Prince William playing polo, no scenes of them traveling together or even having a conversation beyond him changing his major or wanting to fly. We get no sense from this movie as to why William was attracted to Kate beyond seeing her in her underwear. Still despite it's flaws, it was cheesy good fun. I will definitely be watching Hallmark's take on the romance in June. In the interest of blogging.

A little bit of trivia:  Serena Scott Thomas who plays Carole Middleton is not only Kristin Scott Thomas's sister but she also played Princess Diana in a TV movie.

Some other reviews:  Anglotopia, World of Royalty, The Daily Beast, The Daily Mail, The Guardian

Royal Sister-in-Law: A Look at Pippa Middleton

On April 29, 2011 all eyes will be on the bride, as Catherine Middleton walks down the aisle to become HRH Princess William of Wales (unless the Queen makes William a Duke or decides that she will be known as Princess Catherine), but by her side will be the woman who some are calling the most eligible singleton in Britain. No one was surprised when it was announced that Kate’s younger sister Pippa, 27, would be her maid of honor. The two sisters are incredibly close, and Pippa is widely tipped to become her sister’s lady-in-waiting. The two women have made a formidable double act on the London social scene over the several years. Some snobs, who are not quite so enamored, have dubbed them the ‘wisteria sisters’ (highly decorative, terribly fragrant and with a ferocious ability to climb). Ouch! The closest double act America has would probably be Jacqueline and Lee Bouvier. Jacqueline married the closest thing America has to royalty when she married Jack Kennedy in 1983, and Lee married actual royalty when she married Prince Stanislaus Radziwill. But the two sisters are more akin to the Miller sisters who took center stage in the 1990’s when middle sister Marie Chantal bagged Prince Pavlos of Greece, and her two sisters Pia and Alexandra bagged a Getty and Alexander von Furstenberg respectively.

So who is Pippa Middleton exactly? She was born Philippa Charlotte Middleton on September 6, 1983. Like her sister, Pippa attended first Downe House School and then Marlborough, the tony boarding school where they both started to make the right connections. Friends say that while Kate and Pippa were close, they were also incredibly competitive which has continued to this day. ‘Kate was jealous of Pippa – in fact, I think Kate feared being eclipsed by her a bit,’ a friend told the Daily Mail in July of last year. ‘The two sisters are close, but there was always a sense of rivalry between them. Probably still is.” Growing up, Pippa was considered the more outgoing, sassier, and prettier of the two sisters. It wasn’t until Marlborough that Kate began to come out of her shell, turning into the confident and elegant woman that Prince William fell in love with.

Well, there is no chance of Pippa eclipsing her sister now that Kate has accomplished the get of the century, marrying the second in line to the throne! Still Pippa was voted in 2008 as top of Tatler magazine’s most eligible bachelor list, and there is no reason that when she does marry, she shouldn’t bag someone at the top of the heap. By the time Pippa arrived at college (Edinburg University), she was already cultivating the right people. At Edinburgh, she cultivated the country set, people who go to each other’s country houses for the weekend, rather than the fast crowd who headed to London every weekend to party. By her final year, she could count sons of two Dukes as her flat mates (George Percy, heir to the Duke of Northumberland, and Lord Ted Innes-Ker, the second son of the Duke of Roxburghe). According to her frenemies, Pippa is one of those charming people who are constantly looking over your shoulder to see if someone more important was in the room. She is also considered the prettier and sexier of the two sisters. While Kate looks like fun and a good laugh, Pippa is the one in the slinky dresses with the come hither look.

While Kate played the waiting game with Prince William, Pippa plunged into the London social scene. Moving into the £850,000 Chelsea flat with her sister, she took a job with an events planner. Soon invitations to fashion shows and launch parties filled her mailbox. But it wasn’t all parties and premieres. Pippa took her role as gatekeeper for her sister seriously, booking restaurants for Kate and William and sorting through their invites, sort of an unofficial social secretary. There are two people that Kate trusts implicitly, her mother and her sister. Neither of them has let her down during the years of her relationship with William.

Still while her sister has found her Prince, Pippa is still looking for hers. She’s had a long-term relationship with Jonathan ‘J.J.’ Jardine Patterson, heir to Hong Kong Jardine Matheson (think James Clavell’s Noble House), Scottish aristocrat Bill More Nesbit, diamond heir Simon Youngman, nightclub entrepreneur Charlie Gilkes, and a close friend of William and Kate’s, Guy Pelly. Currently she’s dating former cricket player Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon, and according to royal reporter Katie Nicholls the relationship is serious. Rushworth works in finance, he’s dashingly handsome, and his family have a stately pile in Kent called Olantigh.

Currently Pippa divides her time between the events company Table Talk and editing ‘The Party Times,” the newsletter for her parents company. If royal insiders are correct, and Pippa does become her sister’s lady-in-waiting, her job at Table Talk will have to go. Her days will be filled with helping her sister with her calendar, and following her around to royal engagements, making sure to keep her on schedule. “Pippa is a great networker, like her mother,” says a friend. No doubt those skills will come in handy in the years ahead.

Sources:  Vanity Fair, Daily Mail, The Telegraph

The Other Royal Wedding: Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall

With so much attention focused on the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, it’s easy to forget that the Queen has another grandchild who is getting married this summer. Perhaps that is on purpose given the low key lifestyle of Zara Phillips and her fiancé, Mike Tindall. As royal watchers know, William is not the first of the Queen’s grandchildren to get married. Peter Phillips married first almost three years ago when he married Canadian Autumn Kelly. Now this summer it will be his sister’s turn. While Peter married at Windsor Castle, Zara surprised many by choosing Edinburgh for her wedding instead of more expected sites like her home county of Gloucestershire or Hampton Court where Lord Frederick Windsor was married.

The happy couple, who were introduced by Prince Harry in a bar in 2003 during the Rugby World Cup in Sydney, has been dating for seven years. They were first spotted at the swank Met Bar in London, although they just claimed to be friends, and then on a date at the Badminton Horse Trials before making their relationship public. Before meeting the 6’2” 224 plays outside centre for Gloucester Rugby who she calls a ‘gentle giant,’ Zara had been involved in a tempestuous four year relationship with jockey Richard Johnson. Since meeting Tindall, the pair have settled down first on a rent free cottage on her mother’s Gatcombe estate but moved into a £800,000 three-story Georgian house in April 2009.

At first glance, Tindall seems like an unlikely choice for a royal son-in-law. Tindall is from Leeds in Yorkshire, he served fish and chips from a van while at school. He also has 2 criminal convictions for drunk driving, the second led to him losing his license for three years and paying a fine of £500. Tindall, 32, has claimed that it was his "pure charm" that won her heart. Princess Anne has been adamant since her children’s birth that they are not royal; they just happen to have a Queen for a grandmother. They get no money from the civil list and have no royal duties. Considered a bit of a wild child, Zara famously pierced her tongue, and is known for her short skirts and fab tastes in hats. .Although 12th in line for the throne, Zara is more concerned with making the Olympic team in 2012.

It was sport that brought them together. They seem to have appreciation for the trials and tribulations of their chosen sports. Tindall is often seen at Zara’s events, and she is a regular at his rugby matches. Zara is one of Britain's top equestrians and a former world three-day Eventing champion. Her fiancé, who plays for club side Gloucester, has been capped more than 60 times by his country and was part of the England team that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Speaking to HELLO! Magazine last year, Mike, said "I don’t think it’s about whether we will get married but when. There's no doubt that I love Zara but it has to be the right time…And yes it probably will be a white wedding, although sometimes I can see the attraction of sneaking away without telling anyone." Reflecting on their relationship, "I just really liked her. It wasn't love at first sight - I wasn't looking for romance. But, naturally, I wasn't unmoved by her. She is a stunning woman. There was something there."

According to the Daily Mail, Zara said back in 2008, “I’m old-fashioned. I think they should ask you. Everyone at the rugby club seems to be getting married and having babies so they keeping asking me, ‘What about you?”

Zara and Mike have decided to get married in Scotland this summer on July 30th. This won’t be the first royal wedding north of the border. Princess Anne had her second wedding to now Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence in 1992 at a church near Balmoral. That decision had more to do with The Church of Scotland allowing divorced people to remarry in the church, while the Church of England does not.  Sources say Zara and Mike are under pressure not to follow in her brother’s footsteps by selling the rights to the wedding to a tabloid like Hello!

Marrying in Scotland is in keeping with the couple’s low key approach. While Kate and William had a formal press conference to announce their engagement, Zara and Mike wore jeans and winter coats for their informal announcement in December. The church, Canongate Kirk, is where the Queen worships when she is in town. Palace sources day that the wedding will be a private affair with the costs covered by the families. It has been announced that It has also emerged that Tindall's best man will be fellow rugby player Iain Balshaw, who was part of England's rugby World Cup-winning squad. The wedding reception will be held at The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland (which she rarely uses). It is also the palace where Mary Queen of Scot’s private secretary David Rizzio was famously murdered.

The busy couple has postponed plans for a honeymoon due to their careers and might even put it off until next year. Tindall has confirmed he intends to play rugby for England just a week after the couple get married, meaning he has to be back in training two days after the ceremony. Zara, meanwhile, will compete at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, the same weekend.

Royal Pain: Gary Goldsmith

It is a truth universally acknowledged that any modern woman seeking to become a princess will have at least one skeleton in the closet. In Kate Middleton’s case, her skeleton is her paunchy middle-aged uncle Gary Goldsmith. Goldsmith is Carole Middleton’s younger brother, and he would give any family a headache, let only one that will soon be royal by connection. Like his sister, Goldsmith is a self-made millionaire; he sold his computer staffing business “Computer Futures,” for $275 million back in 2005. Since then he’s divided his time between a $1 million mews cottage in London and a $5 million villa in Ibiza with the lovely title Maison de Bang Bang which is French for ‘House of Sex.’ A six foot high mural outside the house reads “It’s Gary’s world, you just live in it,” (which is also tattooed on his body along with his initials). According to gossip, since moving part-time to Ibiza, Goldsmith had slowly gotten sucked into the party scene. The larger than life Goldsmith, 45, is thrice divorced with one child, whose last girlfriend was a lap dancer. His third wife, Julia Leake married him in 2007 in a civil ceremony but dumped him a few months later before the church blessing because she couldn’t take his lifestyle. “He is a lovely guy in his heart of hearts but I just can’t help him anymore. He needs to go to into rehab and sort his life out,’ she reportedly told a friend. According to the Daily Mail, Carole Middleton actually begged Julia not to leave Gary (the plan didn’t work).


But the man who was once described as an accident waiting to happen, and a ‘waste of space’ by his own sister has reportedly cleaned up his act in time for the wedding this month. He’s sobered up, lost weight and grown his hair back, after sporting the cue ball look for several years. “Gary has turned his life around. He’s realized that money and a lavish lifestyle in the sun aren’t necessarily the answer to happiness,” a friend told the Daily Mail. “He brought great shame on the family and regrets it. He and Carole aren’t especially close, but Gary wants to be forgiven. He has had a real makeover, inside and out.” He has been on his best behavior since 2009 when two undercover reporters from tabloid The News of the World set up a sting. Goldsmith was caught on camera doing cocaine and offering to set up the reporter with $1200 a night prostitutes. He boasted openly about his connection to the royal couple (Kate and William stayed with Goldsmith back in 2006. He rented a yacht for the couple where the famous photos of Kate in white bikini were taken) describing the Prince as ‘lovely’ and talking about his group of ‘MI6 bodyguards.’ The tabloid claimed that Goldsmith smoked pot with his then girlfriend, and gave one of the reporters a small bag of cocaine. The only comment he’s made since then was to congratulate the couple on their engagement. The proof will be in the pudding or the wedding cake, when Goldsmith shows up as one of the 1,900 guests at the ceremony on April 29th which is also his birthday. Now the man who once allegedly kept a box of cocaine the foot of his bed has also been invited to both the intimate banquet at Buckingham Palace as well the reception Prince Charles will be throwing for the happy couple later that night.

Royal Wedding: Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles

Today marks the 6th anniversary of HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, pictured here on their wedding day, leaving St. George's Chapel after the blessing of their union.  It was a day over 30 years in the making, starting from the infamous day that the royal couple met in 1970, through the ups and downs (her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, his to Lady Diana Spencer, Camillagate, Andrew Morton's book, the Jonathan Dimbley interview, Diana's death and their mutual divorces).  For awhile it looked like it would never happen, but Prince Charles was determined to make Camilla his wife.  With the help of Mark Bolland who was hired to make Camilla more palatable to the British people, the day finally came.

The engagement was announced in February 2005 that Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles would be wed initially on April 8, 2005 (Pope John Paul II's death meant that it was postponed by one day). Camilla's engagement ring is a Windsor family heirloom that once belonged to Charles' beloved Grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.  It is a 1920's platinum setting with a square-cut central diamond flagged by six diamond baguettes (see the picture above). Stunning isn't it? After the engagement announcement, the couple were congratulated by the Queen and Prince Philip ending speculation that Charles would be marrying Camilla over the Queen's dead body.  I suppose the Queen finally gave her consent because it would be churlish to refuse.  Camilla wasn't going to go away no matter how much the Queen might want her too. It probably helped that Prince William and Prince Harry were resigned to the marriage.  Apparently they get on well with her, because she never tried to replace their mother, and they could see that she made their father happy. Public opinion which had unanimously been against Camilla just after Diana's death had subtly changed. The couple were no spring chickens (the groom was 56, and the bride 57) when they wed, and no doubt most people thought led the two lovebirds get married.

For awhile, it looked like the marriage might be cursed. First the venue for the ceremony was changed from Windsor Castle to Windsor Town Hall (it turned out that if the castle had been licensed for a civil wedding, that meant that they had to open it up to other couples for at least 3 years). Then it was announced that the Queen would not be attending the civil service, although she would be attending the blessing.  Rumors flew that the Queen wasn't attending the civil ceremony because of her hatred of Camilla. The palace stated that the engaged couple wanted to keep the ceremony low-key but nobody was buying it.  The real reason was that the Queen is the Head of the Church of England, and it wouldn't do for her to be seen at a civil ceremony. Then came the final hit, the death of John Paul II on April 4th.  Since Prince Charles would be attending the funeral as the Queen's representative, the wedding was postponed until the next day.

Finally on April 9th, 2005 at 12:30 pm BST (7:30 our time), the wedding took place at the Windsor Guildhall.  Although the crowds weren't quite as large as those when Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, people began to gather in the streets starting at dawn to greet the happy couple.  The Duchess looked lovely in a cream-colored dress and matching coat with a wide-brimmed hat, while the groom wore morning dress. The couple's witnesses were Princes William and Harry, and Camilla's son and daughter Tom and Laura Parker-Bowles.  Continuing a royal tradition, the rings were crafted from 22 k Welsh gold (nothing but the best for royalty!)  The Prince wears his wedding ring on his pinkie finger underneath his signet ring. 

For the blessing later at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle (where Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones were married), Camilla wore a stunning floor-length embroidered pale blue and gold coat over a matching chiffon gown with a dramatic spray of gold flowers in her hair.  Both of her wedding ensembles were designed by Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine.  Her hats were by the go-to milliner for British aristocrats and society Philip Treacy.

The wedding was televised both in the UK and in the States on WE!. Since the wedding was not a state occasion, the usual plethora of royals were not in attendance. The guests were mainly friends and family of the royal couple.  To placate people, it was announced that Camilla would not be known as the Princess of Wales (although that is automatically her title on marrying the Prince of Wales) but as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. It was also announced that when Charles becomes King, Camilla will be the Princess Consort but by the time that happens (if it happens) no doubt Camilla will take her place alongside Charles as Queen Camilla.

Since the wedding, Camilla has undertaken royal tours with Charles to the United States, Spain, India and the Middle East as well as solo engagements around the UK. She seems to have relaxed into the role of royal Duchess, although she still keeps the home that she had bought after her divorce as a kind of bolthole whenever she needs to get away from all the royal pomp and circumstance.  A place where she can put her feet up on the furniture and let her hair down.

Royal Girlfriend: Chelsy Davy

Now that Prince William is getting marriage, attention is naturally being paid to the spare, Prince Harry and when he will walk down the aisle. Specifically will he walk down the aisle with his long time on/off girlfriend Chelsy Davy or will there soon be someone else on the horizon? If Kate Middleton is in the Princess Diana mold (but without the emotional baggage), royal watchers speculate whether Chelsy Davy is in the Sarah Ferguson mold (jolly, loads of fun but hopefully better able to manage her money). While Kate Middleton worked briefly as an accessories buyer for Jigsaw and then for her parents company, Party Pieces, while waiting for her Prince to propose, Chelsy Davy is pursuing a law career. Which would make her more Cherie Blair than Fergie!

Chelsy and Harry have had a famously tempestuous relationship ever since they met in 2005 when Chelsy was attending the posh Cheltenham Ladies College when she was 19 and Prince Harry was 20.  The pair managed to keep the relationship under wraps until that November when they were seen on holiday together at a remote polo lodge near Buenos Aires (Harry like his brother, father and grandfather is mad about polo!). Shortly after, Prince William in an uncharacteristic moment of candor admitted that his brother was madly in love (basically he threw him under the bus to keep reporters off his back about his own love life). The couple maintained a long-distance relationship for 3 years while Chelsy attended college back at the University of Capetown where she studied economics. The Zimbabwe born Chelsy grew up at her family's homestead in the Lemco Safara Area, where her father runs his safari companies. Luckily for Chelsy, Prince Harry like his brother, adores Africa.

By this time, the couple had already weathered rumors of the Prince's alleged cheating after Harry celebrated the end of his military training at Sandhurst by blowing off steam at nearby lapdancing club. That wasn't the only instance where the media reported that the Prince had a roving eye. After university and several months traveling extensively in the US, Chelsy moved to the UK to study law at Leeds in 2007 in order to spend more time with her prince. The couple seperated for the first time that fall when Harry missed Chelsy's birthday party to attend the Rugby World Cup final in Paris. Chelsy reportedly told her friends that she 'needed space to carve out her own identity' and that Harry needed to do some growing up but the pair reconciled a few weeks later.

Unlike Prince William and Kate Middleton who made a pact not to show affection in public, Harry and Chelsy were always very tactile with each other. If fact, it could be said that they couldn't keep their hands off each other. The two certainly had alot in common. Unlike Kate Middleton who is a lightweight when it comes to drinking, and is always perfectly coiffed and ladylike, Chelsy was known to drive around Capetown in college in a silver Mercedes coupe, designer shades holding back her fringe. She likes to live hard, play hard, and study hard.

The biggest fly in the ointment of the relationship (besides Harry's immaturity) was the fact that Chelsy wasn't keen on the media scrutiny. FYI - if you are dating a Prince whose mother is an icon, there is going to be a great deal of media scrutiny. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.  In an interview published just before his 21st birthday in 2005, the Prince said, "I would love to tell everyone how amazing she is. But, you know, that is my private life and once I start talking about that, then I've left myself own self open, and if anyone asks me in the future, then they'll say 'Oh well hang on, you told them but why aren't you telling us?" Unlike Kate Middleton, who in unprecedented move agreed to provide a royal protection officer, Chelsy was not afforded the same protection. That's the difference between dating the heir and the spare.

In 2008, the couple split up again. This time Chelsy posted the news on her Facebook page when she changed her status to 'Not in a Relationship,' indicating just how serious this breakup actually was. The break-up apparently came about because Harry decided to join the Army Air Corps to train as a helicopter pilot, a minimum 2 year course, meaning that the couple would be spending increasing time apart (Sarah, Duchess of York cited the constant seperations as the reason for her break-up with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York during their 6 year marriage). Reports also surfaced that the Prince preferred to spend his free time with his army buddies than with his girlfriend. You know the one who had moved across the world to be with him.

This time the couple were apart for about eight months. During that time Prince Harry was briefly linked to Sky sports reporter Caroline Flack, but a friend told the Daily Mail's Katie Nicholl "Harry has had a few flings but they have not been serious. He still holds a flame for Chelsy, but they both have to work out whether the relationship can work." Chelsy wasn't lonely for long either, she was linked to several men incuding a property developer named Dan Philipson and nightclub promoter Dominic Rose.  Soon the estranged couple were meeting secretly to try and see if they should make another go of it. By September 2009, they were a couple again but the romance didn't last and once again they split up in 2010. Chelsy left England to go back to South Africa to practice law and to travel. It appears, that unlike Kate Middleton, Chelsy wasn't prepared to wait for Harry to grow up or to propose to her.

By 2011, she was back in the UK, to being training at London law firm Allen & Overy. It wasn't long before the couple were spotted around town and speculation has been rife that Chelsy will be Harry's date to big brother William's wedding on the 29th. That is if he makes it back from the Artic in time! Recently Chelsy was seen at the wedding of the Duke of Northumberland's daughter along with Kate Middleton's sister Pippa.

Soon the question remains, will Harry grow up and propose to Chelsy finally? Will Chelsy every learn to deal with the media attention that comes along with being a member of the Royal family.

Royal Review: Behind the Palace Doors

Behind the Palace Doors
Author:  Michael Farquhar
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date:  March 1, 2011

From the Back Cover:

Spanning 500 years of British history, a revealing look at the secret lives of some great (and not-so-great) Britons, courtesy of one of the world’s most engaging royal historians. Beleaguered by scandal, betrayed by faithless spouses, bedeviled by ambitious children, the kings and queens of Great Britain have been many things, but they have never been dull. Some sacrificed everything for love, while others met a cruel fate at the edge of an axman’s blade. From the truth behind the supposed madness of King George to Queen Victoria’s surprisingly daring taste in sculpture, Behind the Palace Doors ventures beyond the rumors to tell the unvarnished history of Britain’s monarchs, highlighting the unique mix of tragedy, comedy, romance, heroism, and incompetence that has made the British throne a seat of such unparalleled fascination.

Gotham Gal says: I have read several of Michael Farquahar's books and found them enjoyable including a Treasury of Royal Scandals, so I was naturally curious about his new book Behind the Palace Doors. However, I am poor at the moment, so I used my Borders bucks to purchase it. I was surprised to find that the book only starts with the Tudors and with the Plantagenets, although that could be a book in itself.  Farquhar dimisses the last of the Plantagenets in the forward and then its on to the Tudors, starting with Henry VIII.  This was actually my least favorite section of the book. The Tudors frankly have been done to death and Farquhar adds nothing really new to the mix. He repeats the usual stories about Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour, Mary Tudor and Philip II of Spain, touches briefly on Lady Jane Grey and Henry's wives but it feels like wearing a musty old hat.  It's not until he gets to James I and Arabella Stuart that the book finally gets interesting. The book doesn't really live up to its subtitle:  Five Centuries of Sex, Adventure, Vice, Treachery and Folly in Royal Britain.  I expected the book to be a bit sexier although he does briefly recount the ill-fated affairs of George I's wife Sophia Dorothea and George III's sister Caroline Matilda with Johan Streunsee.  The chapter on Edward VII, a notorious womanizer is surprisingly slim and there is nothing in the book about Edward VII's son, the Duke of Clarence who was involved in the Cleveland Street scandal (a male brothel).

The book is more effective when Farquhar sticks to politics and feuds, that's clearly where his real interest lies. The abdication of Edward VIII, the enmity between George II and his son Frederick, the Prince of Wales, the Glorious Revolution that brought William and Mary to the throne are all covered, as well as George V's decison not to allow his cousin the Tsar and his family to live in England after they were forced to abdicate.  The book peters out by the time it gets to Elizabeth I, in fact the chapter is only a few pages.  All the royal scandals of the past 50 years, starting with Princess Margaret's relationship with Peter Townsend, not even touched on.

There are other books out there that are much more interesting than Behind Palace Doors. I have to say that this book was a huge disappointment for me.

Royal Review: The Palace Diaries by Sarah Goodall and Nicholas Monson

In honor of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, The Adventures of Gotham Gal will be pretty much all Royal Wedding all the time for the next 28 days until the big day. There will be reviews of books and films about not only the monarchy in Britain but also other royals, Royal Bachelors, wedding prep, royal romances etc. So sit back and enjoy the wedding cake.

From the back cover: The newly minted American version of The Palace Diaries is a hilarious, light-hearted look at the life behind the scenes of the Royal Establishment with extra spicy material, unseen as yet in Europe. Sarah Goodall spent twelve years working for Prince Charles as Lady Clerk from 1988 to 2000, the period during which his marriage to Princess of Wales broke down amid a frenzy of media attention. But this is not another examination of the failed Royal marriage, it is the story of a rather naive and accident prone young woman whose dreams all came true when she was given the opportunity to work for the heir to the throne. The Palace Diaries is an entertaining romp of a read which will delight and intrigue in equal measure.

I saw this book originally in the NAL catalog a few years ago and awaited its publication anxiously. For some reason, I could never find it in the US, so I bought it on a trip to the UK about 2 years ago.  It sat on my bookshelf for 2 years, until I dusted it off this week to read.  I wish I had read it sooner because it is an interesting look at the inner workings of the monarchy, in particular the Prince of Wales.  Sarah Goodall had the good fortune to work for The Prince of Wales for 12 years, and she has a unique take on the Boss and Bossette as she calls them that is different from the memoirs of Patrick Jephson (Princess Diana's PR) and Ken Wharfe (her personal protection officer).  Sarah's interaction with the Princess is limited since she spends most of her time working for Prince Charles who she openly adores. 

At times, I found Sarah to be not only incredibly naive but a bit stupid. If you are going to work for the Prince of Wales, how hard is it to familiarize yourself with his friends and colleagues.  The book is filled with instances of Sarah meeting people and not knowing who they are.  Any good secretary would know that is one of the first things that you do. Granted, she started out just answering the Prince's fan mail but seriously.  Sarah is good-hearted and completely lacking in any kind of ambition.  Even getting married is not on the top of her agenda. She enjoys her job at the Palace, and quickly succumbs to the perks of the job which makes up for the low salaries. 

Before long, she finds herself being invited to have dinner with the Prince and his friends at Highgrove, Balmoral and Sandringham.  This is the part of the book that will be the most intersting to Royal Watchers out there.  She also has quick flings with one of the chefs as well as a few other people she meets in the course of her job at the Palace. Finally Sarah finds herself with red carpet fever, believing that she has a more intimate relationship with her boss and his family then she actually does.  She snubs one of the new employees who is promoted over her, takes advantage by not arriving at work on time, and taking personal calls which finally ends with her being fired.  For some reason, she ends up blaming Camilla Parker Bowles for her demise, but it's clear from reading the book that her work is just adequate at best towards the end of her tenure.

The book is written in an easy, breezy style which makes it a fairly quick read.  Goodall is quite honest that she wrote the book because she needed the money.  Things hadn't worked out so well for her after leaving the Palace. Throughout most of the book, she lives way beyond her means, relying on handouts from her parents.  The book was published 3 years ago to a most indifferent splash it seems here in the US which seems a shame because the book is quite a lot of fun.

Royally Mad!

I have been a royalty watcher since I was a kid, but I've never been quite open about my addition until I became an adult. Frankly I blame Jean Plaidy and her series of historical fiction about European and British royalty.  There is no 12 step program for being Royally Mad but that is exactly what I am.  My DVR is now filled with royal wedding specials about William & Kate. Seriously don't they look incredibly happy? I've been reading royalty blogs, buying up books about William & Kate (to add to my collection of books about Princess Diana and the Duchess of Windsor). I was in England when Princes Charles and Lady Diana wed, I was late to work the day that Prince Andrew married Fergie, and I celebrated Prince Edward's wedding by attending a royal wedding tea at The Four Seasons hotel. When Princess Diana died, I seriously contemplated flying back to England for the funeral but alas I was broke. However I did get up at 5 in the morning to watch it live.  I even remember where I was when I heard that Princess Grace had died (and I watched the TV movie starring Cheryl Ladd!).  My collection now encompasses books about all European royalty not just the British.  Two of my favorite books are Eleanor Herman's books Sex with the King & Sex with Queens.  I've even blogged about royalty (next up Princess Stephanie of Monaco!). 

So when I heard that BBC America was doing a show to be shown in the week leading up to the royal wedding, well I had to audition.

My good friend, the lovely and talented author Hope Tarr, graciously agreed to let me use her home for the video, and her boyfriend Raj agreed to be the videographer.  I showed up with a pale pink ballgown, a tiara, some royalty memoribilia and the fixings for a Crack Baby (William & Kate's favorite cocktail from the nightclub Boujis). Two Crack Baby cocktails later, the video was finished.  Unfortunately I wasn't picked, I suspect I wasn't quite crazy enough, but I certainly had fun making the video.

So here it is.  I hope you enjoy!  I will be up early on April 29th to watch William & Kate tie the knot, probably twittering during the commercial breaks.

New Portrait of Prince William and Harry

Okay is just me or does this painting make Prince William look like he's middle-aged compared to Prince Harry? The guy is only 27 years old, he can't be that wrinkled can he? I do love the way the artist has captured the camraderie between the two brothers, and I love a man in uniform.

I'll have to check out the painting up close next time I'm in London.

Happy Birthday, Prince Charles

Happy 60th Birthday to Prince Charles.

From Hello! Magazine:

In a regal yet relaxed pose and wearing the ceremonial uniform of the Welsh Guards, Prince Charles appears to be a man finally at peace with himself in the official image marking his 60th birthday on November 14. The portrait is by society photographer Hugo Burnand who favours an "approachable feel" to portraits so "you are almost talking to the person".

It's not the first time Hugo has worked with the royals – he took a portrait of the Duchess of Cornwall five years ago and photographed their wedding. Charles' marriage to Camilla, friends say, is central to his state of mind. Also key is the acceptance of many of the Prince's convictions into mainstream thinking: the environment, organic farming and opportunities for young people are all top of UK society's current concerns.

"He is a happy man, far happier than anyone has seen him for many, many years," an insider told the Daily Mail. "For most people reaching 60 is a time for reflection and is, more often than not, a time for regret over things not yet achieved."

"For the Prince it is the complete opposite. He feels that at long last people are finally starting to get him."

Royalty Round-up: Dancing in the Dark

Yowza! One of the Queen's grandchildren, Zara Phillips has apparently signed up for the next edition of Strictly Come Dancing which is the UK version of Dancing with the Stars. I'm totally going to watch this on YouTube.

It's interesting that she's doing this. There were expectations that Zara would be competing in the Olympics this year in Beijing but unfortunately her mount was injured and she didn't have time to work with another horse. Her mother Princess Anne competed for Britain in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and there was hope that Zara might actually have a good shot a medal. So I guess, since she has a little downtime, she's decided to take up ballroom dancing!

Since athletes seem to do well on this show, even in the UK, there might be a good chance (if she has rhythm) that she might win this thing, adding to the medals that she's won as an equestrienne. Still, I'm surprised that Buckingham Palace hasn't put their foot down about this.

You can read the full story in the Daily Mirror here.

There has been speculation since the show started in the States, that Sarah, Duchess of York might participate since she loves to tango. How cool would that be? Not that I need any incentive to watch this show, but I would be glued to the TV if Fergie were to compete. That would be even more fun that watching Joan Rivers on Celebrity Apprentice.

Happy Birthday Princess Eugenie

"How do I play the princess thing? I don't really."



So Fergie and Prince Andrew's little girl has grown up!



This past Sunday (Easter no less) Princess Eugenie celebrated her 18th birthday. Eugenie Victoria Helena Mountbatten-Windsor (the Mountbatten comes from when Prince Philip renounced his Greek titles. Yes, I said Greek. He was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on a kitchen table in Corfu. When he married Princess Elizabeth, he was simply Lt. Philip Mountbatten. Mountbatten was the name that his maternal grandfather took during WWI when having a German surname of Battenberg was not a good idea) in Portland Hospital.



Two years later her parents seperated and finally divorced in 1996 (see my post on Sarah, Duchess of York at Scandalous Women). However both parents were loving and committed to giving their daughters the best possible parenting despite not being married anymore. "They are the best divorced couple I know," Eugenie has said. "They just went out of their way to make us feel loved and secure. " The Duchess of York endeavored to make sure that both Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice had as normal an upbringing as possible.



Eugenie attended Upton House school in Windsor along with her older sister. Later she moved on to St. George's school also in Windsor. Unlike most of the royals, Eugenie is a gifted student who passed nine GCSE's with flying colors before studying for her A-level exams. She's also modest, saying that she's "more of a worker than a clever person" when it comes to academics. The Duke and Duchess of York have also made sure that Eugenie was introduced to the less fun aspects of royal life like charitable duties from a young age.



Here she is with her sister and mother at a charitable ballet performance at the age of 8. Love the purple tutu and the crazy make-up! Like most young aristocratic English girls, Eugenie went through a horse mad phase, learning to ride at an early age. She's very close to her grandmother, the Queen, whom she describes as "truly one of the most amazing women ever, she has this air of magic about her. And she is incredibly wise."


Unlike her older sister Beatrice, Eugenie says that she tends to be shy in social situations. While Beatrice has a steady boyfriend, an American who works for Richard Branson, Eugenie seems to be playing the field for now. She's a huge music fan, favoring bands like Death Cab for Cutie and The Stereophonics (Now I feel old, I know only Death Cab for Cutie from watching the OC).


Eugenie is very close to her mother and her sister Beatrice. "Mummy, Bea and I call ourselves 'the Tripod' – they are my best friends in the world," she has said in interviews. Many people think that Eugenie resembles her late great-grandmother, the Queen Mother who was born Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, daughter of the Earl of Strathmore.


She seems to be a very savvy young woman, who has her own MySpace page (you totally know that I'm going to friend her) travels by Tube, and has ambitions to visit Spain to learn the language during her gap year (she can always stay with her distant relatives the King and Queen of Spain!).

EKM