British Royal Wedding

Kate Middleton might not have a ring on her finger yet, but she did get a very special 27th birthday present – a visit from her dashing Prince at her family home.

Determined that her birthday should be a low-key affair, Kate decided to stay at home with her parents and asked 26-year-old Prince William to join her for a private celebratory dinner party with her father Michael, mother Carole, younger sister Pippa, 24, and brother James, 21.

It is the first time the Prince has actually been seen at the Middletons’ house in Bucklebury, Berkshire, though he has stayed there several times secretly. He drove to the Middletons in his black Audi shortly before 9pm on Friday and stayed the night with his girlfriend of six years.

A source said: ‘William stayed over and left at about 12.30pm. His three security officers stayed down the road, so William could be on his own with Kate and her family.’

Read the entire story at the Daily Mail

Prince William’s girlfriend Kate Middleton turns 27 today – and there is speculation her man will make it a double celebration by getting down on one knee.

Bookmakers Ladbrokes has halved its odds to 5/1 on William and Kate announcing their engagement on Friday following a run of money.

The odds of the Prince popping the question at some time in 2009 have also shrunk to 1-2 from 6-4 at William Hill.

The long-term couple spent much of the festive period holidaying at the royal retreat of Birkhall, the Prince of Wales’ home on the Queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland. The pair reportedly enjoyed a romantic meal in a secluded log cabin in the grounds of the home.

Rupert Adams, from William Hill, said: “A year or so ago the bet was will they ever get married – yes or no? That’s no longer a viable market as far as we’re concerned. It’s now which year will they get engaged.” (via Sky News)

It’s the hairless heir — Prince William steps out after shaving off his beard. Wills, 26, grew the facial fuzz in November but got a razor for Christmas from girlfriend Kate Middleton. The pair were spotted at Heathrow after flying back from Scotland. (via The Sun)

It was a fresh-faced Prince William who was pictured yesterday returning from a romantic Scottish break with girlfriend Kate Middleton. The 26-year-old prince arrived at Heathrow Airport looking younger in glasses and casual clothes, minus the beard that had divided opinion among fans, following a six day trip. (Daily Mail)

This fairytale log cabin is where romantic Prince William whisked Kate Middleton for a candlelit supper – amid fevered speculation he is to pop the question.

Girlfriend Kate, 26, was ecstatic when she arrived at the isolated lodge to find a table laid with crisp white linen and silver cutlery. Besotted Wills got his dad’s flunkeys at Birkhall – where the lovebirds are staying on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland – to prepare the surprise.

He and Kate then enjoyed an intimate meal with nobody else around – before cuddling up beside a roaring log fire as temperatures outside plunged to -5°C. Their cosy lovenest – a fishing cabin nestling beside the picturesque River Dee – was where the 26-year-old Prince’s late great gran the Queen Mother liked to get away from it all.

Read the entire story at The Sun

Prince William has whisked Kate Middleton off to Scotland for a New Year break…with his father and stepmother in tow. The intimate family gathering will inevitably lead to rumours that the couple are likely to become engaged soon.

William, 26, has been dating Miss Middleton for six years – and had been expected to take a skiing trip with her in his last few days of freedom.

Soon he is to start training as an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter pilot, for which he will be sent to bases around the country, meaning there will be a limited amount of time he can spend with his girlfriend.

It is considered particularly unusual for the prince and his father to spend time together at Prince Charles’s private retreat, Birkhall, on the Queen’s Balmoral estate. A friend said: ‘Their decision to fly up to Scotland has taken everyone by surprise.’

The couple have only just been reunited after spending Christmas apart, as dictated by royal protocol.

Miss Middleton flew to Mustique with her family for the holiday, while William was with the Royal Family at Sandringham for their traditional celebrations.

On New Year’s Day, they traveled up to the Highlands from London, accompanied by William’s bodyguards from Scotland Yard. They will spend several days at Birkhall.

William and Kate have rarely been seen out and about in recent months, leading to speculation that their romance was, once again, on the rocks. But sources close to the couple insist they are ‘as strong as ever’, and have merely attempted to keep their relationship out of the limelight, as they felt pressurised by the level of publicity it had been receiving. (via Daily Mail)

Prince Harry has opened his heart to The People about his love and admiration for his gorgeous girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

Looking happy and relaxed, while sipping from a bottle of beer in a trendy nightclub at 1.30am, he even hinted at a possible engagement.

Harry, 24, who plans to whisk her off on a £1,000-a night New Year holiday in Mauritius, confided: “I’ve told Chelsy we both have lots to look forward to next year. She is lovely, we are very happy together.”

Chelsy, 24, was letting her hair down with pals at London’s swanky Whisky Mist during the early hours of Friday. But while they chose the privacy of the club’s VIP area, Harry showed a more common touch by larking around with his mates at the bar in the main section.

“I will be taking her to see my gran this Christmas, it’s going to be a nice, quiet family one this year. I can’t wait. I don’t know what Papa has got me for Christmas. And I can’t tell you what I’ve got Chelsy. But she will love it. She works very hard so she likes coming out on nights like this and lets her hair down.”

Read entire story at People.co.uk

British Bookies William Hill offer odds of 6/1 that Kate Middleton returns from the Caribbean with a diamond ring on her finger.

William Hill are now odds on at 1/2 that Prince William and Kate Middleton get engaged in 2008 and offer 6/4 that they do not.

“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 we are not far off an announcement.” said William Hill’s spokesman Rupert Adams.

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)

The Queen wants Prince William’s girlfriend Kate Middleton to get a proper full-time job before the young couple consider getting married.

There is renewed speculation that the couple, who recently enjoyed a romantic holiday in the Caribbean, are about to announce an engagement.

But Britain’s The Mail on Sunday newspaper said the Queen was worried that a proposal would be both premature and ill-advised.

Sources close to the Queen said she was concerned that William’s public image could suffer if the public did not consider Middleton, 26, to be a working professional in her own right.

“The Queen is very aware that it’s a serious and long-term relationship,” a senior aide told the Mail.

“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 quit her job as an accessories buyer for High Street chain Jigsaw at the end of last year and announced that she wanted to pursue a career as a photographer.

Middleton, who has been dubbed “waity Katie” because her life is in “limbo”, has spent the past three months working for her parent’s mail-order company, Party Pieces, photographing new stock for its website.

“It’s not what you would call a nine-to-five job,” said a friend of the Middleton’s.

“It’s an easy number for Kate and basically something to fill her days while she waits for William.”

Sources close to her said she has no immediate work plans while the 25-year-old prince goes through for his final attachment with the Royal Navy.

William is set to begin a two-month deployment in the Royal Navy, on board HMS Iron Duke, a frigate that will be on hurricane relief duty and counter-narcotics patrol in the Caribbean. (via NineMSN)

Kate Middleton has asked friends to call her Catherine, amid fevered speculation that Prince William is about to propose.

The Daily Mail reports that Middleton, 26, has asked friends and family to call her Catherine, a name with a more formal ring and a regal history.

Middleton is currently on holiday with Prince William on the Caribbean island of Mustique, and bookmakers in the UK have stopped taking bets on the likelihood of William proposing while the pair are away.

A friend told the newspaper: “Everyone knows it’s about to happen with Kate and William. There’s a distinct feeling that she has started to become very aware of her position.”

The name Catherine or Katherine has a long history for England’s royals – Henry VIII alone married three of them.

Let’s hope young Middleton’s royal future is a little luckier – Henry cast aside his first Catherine and beheaded another. (via Herald Sun)