One company is so sure of Wills and Kate’s future together that they have commissioned a set of ceramic swans as a celebration of the couple’s enduring love.

Named William and Catherine the swans, made for china ­retailers Goviers by Royal Crown Derby, are intended to be used as paperweights.

And while we’re sure the couple couldn’t fail to be delighted with this romantic tribute even they might raise an eyebrow at Goviers’ planning. “Not only have we already developed a full Royal Wedding Collection but a series of cygnets to accompany the Royal Swans is proposed to mark the arrival of any little princes or princesses”…  (via Daily Express)

The Daily Mail reckons Kate Middleton will be facing time alone as Prince William undertakes intensive military training in Wales…

The 27-year-old Prince is being posted to RAF Valley in North Wales where he will continue his training to be a search-and-rescue pilot.

An RAF insider says: ‘It’s going to be a testing time for William and Kate because he will be expected to knuckle down. He will be mastering the basic elemental techniques of search and rescue and there will be no holidays.’

However Kate, also 27, may yet decide to go off and do her own own thing while she waits for William. I’m told she is hatching a plan which could see her heading to the States.

‘What she really wants is to explore her passion for photography and she has thought about spending some time in America,’ says a friend.

According to Australian magazine New Idea, Prince William is due to pop the question to Kate Middleton any day now.

The couple are reportedly booked in for an “official meeting” with the Queen and the proposal date set for what would have been Princess Diana’s 48th birthday (1st July).

The magazine doesn’t stop there, detailing a “traditional” wedding, the honeymoon (an island in the West Indies) and the number of children they will have (three). Most importantly – according to an insider – grandmother Liz is unlikely to object to the union as “Kate loves shooting, so she’ll fit in well”. (via Sydney Morning Herald)

The BBC is betting that Prince William and Kate Middleton will soon be announcing their engagement. So much so that the corporation has commissioned a new documentary of the couple to be broadcast on the night their engagement is officially announced. The Telegraph reports…

“Believe me, in these straightened times, we would not be spending money on this programme if we had not been assured that they were definitely going to get engaged,” says a senior BBC executive.

A spokesman for Clarence House says it is aware of the documentary but declined to co-operate with the producers.

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)

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)