British Royal Wedding

Britain’s Prince William began his two-month tour of duty with the Royal Navy on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old royal, who will be hunting drug runners in the Caribbean, was upgraded from club class to first class on his British Airways flight from London’s Gatwick Airport to Barbados. He was reportedly waved off by girlfriend Kate Middleton as he boarded the airplane carrying his military hard helmet under his arm.

William was then flown by helicopter from the airport in Barbados to his ship, HMS Iron Duke, where onlookers said he was “all smiles” as he greeted the 185-strong Navy crew and embarked on his journey.

The prince will be working alongside officers from the US Drug Enforcement Administration and will track and board ships suspected of trafficking cocaine from South and Central America. (via Monsters & Critics)

For the first time, bookmakers William Hill are odds on at 1/2 that Prince William and Kate Middleton will get engaged in 2008.

The bookies are offering betting odds of 6/4 that they do not get engaged this year.

“We have felt for some time that it is a question of when, not if, the royal couple get engaged and the odds suggest that it is more likely to occur this year than next.” said William Hill’s spokesman Rupert Adams. (via Casino Beacon)

It’s the Royal wheeee! Partyloving Prince William hurls his arms in the air and sings his heart out as he celebrates his 26th birthday on the dance floor.

Our exclusive pictures prove Wills is a Royal who really does love to let his heir down as he twirls giggling girlfriend Kate Middleton around during a boozy celebration.

He began the evening sedately enough, quietly drinking and chatting with Kate, brother Harry and a few friends at the annual Beaufort Polo Club party on Saturday.

But once the music began to blare, Wills, in blue jeans and open-necked check shirt, could not resist the temptation to grab Kate and haul her on to the dancefloor in a huge tent in the club grounds.

Read entire story and view pics at the Daily Mirror

‘If Kate Middleton wants to marry Prince William, she’ll get him’ - Telegraph
Kate Middleton has, according to royal watchers, been given the official status of ‘Girlfriend’. Creating ripples are the reports this week that Kate refused the Queen’s invitation to host her own table at the Royal Box during Ascot. “Insiders” have been quoted as saying that she did not want to be seen as a stand-in for Prince William or to look as if she was taking advantage of a dubious royal status…

Wedding Bells for Wills & Kate? - OK! Magazine
If the old adage “the couple that plays together stays together” is to be believed, then Prince William and Kate Middleton are a solid bet for the future. The lovebirds are often seen partying with friends as well as attending concerts and sporting events, and it’s this kind of foundation that leads many royal experts to believe that William and Kate will announce their engagement next spring…

Zara Phillips’ wedding a chance for punters to cash in - Daily Mirror
Hills, who make Zara a 4-7 favourite to be the next royal to marry, offer 6-4 she does NOT sell her wedding pics to Hello. Snap it up…

Prince William secretly spent 24 hours underwater on a nuclear submarine. The 25-year-old Prince was taking part in a clandestine Royal Navy exercise based on hunting down an enemy submarine and sinking it.

He submerged on HMS Talent, a T-Class hunter-killer submarine off the coast near Plymouth, and spent a night on board earlier this week.

During the exercise he spent time in the submarine’s control room and saw the torpedo room where cruise missiles are kept.

When the exercise was over the Prince was dramatically winched to shore by a Sea King helicopter.

Later this summer he will play a front line role in the war against the international cocaine trade, serving for five weeks on the Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke.

On board the Prince will share a two-berth cabin, measuring 11ft by 7ft, with another young officer and be woken at 6.30am. He will only be allowed occasional calls home to girlfriend Kate Middleton.(via The Telegraph)

Prince William, wearing an ostrich plumed hat and velvet robes, on Monday was made a Royal Knight of the Garter in a ceremony full of regal pomp.

The prince, second in line to the throne, was formally appointed to the most senior order of British chivalry at Saint George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, west of London.

William, who turns 26 on Saturday, was watched by his girlfriend Kate Middleton, 26, and brother Prince Harry, 23.

The Most Noble Order of the Garter is the oldest order of chivalry in the world, established in 1348 by the queen’s ancestor king Edward III.

William is now a Royal Knight Companion and the 1,000th Knight of the Garter.

Wearing their distinctive white ostrich plumes, blue velvet robes and black velvet hats, the knights and ladies were watched by about 7,000 members of the public as they walked from the castle to the chapel for the church service.

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Prince William, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy were among guests at last night’s Boodles Boxing Ball in London.

Among the other guests were friends of the princes - Hugh Van Cutsem, Guy Pelly, Holly Branson, and Prince William’s old flame, Jessica (Jecca) Craig. Jessica’s boyfriend, Hugh Crossley, was one of the participants.

The biennial event, held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, was organised by Hugh Van Cutsem to raise money for the Starlight Foundation.

View thumbnail photos of the evening here…