Do you think Prince William ever wishes he was living in the olden days when crown princes could summon a witch to the castle to cast a special spell to make “the spare” lose his hair? William never looks more balding than when he’s standing next to Prince Harry and full head of ginger hair. For the record, I think Harry is developing a little bald spot too, so maybe William did summon a witch and have a “balding spell” cast.

Anyway, these are new photos of Harry and William yesterday opening up the “Help For Heroes Tidworth House Recovery Centre”. I’m assuming this center is something like what Americans think of as “Walter Reed” – it’s a center for wounded warriors and their families to spend the necessary time to recover from their war injuries. This is one of Prince Harry’s big issues – Harry has been working with charities and organizations working with and for wounded warriors for years now. This is Harry’s wheelhouse, so I wonder if he minds that William came along…? Harry was probably just excited to spend some time with his brother. Several of the wounded warriors asked after Duchess Kate, and they asked how William was preparing for fatherhood. William said he was “very much so” looking forward to it and “All the mothers have been looking at me, ‘just you wait, just you wait. Long sleepless nights.’”

Speaking of Kate, where was she? She made so many appearances in April and then she just kind of stopped cold. Duchess of Diva theorized that Kate was trying to make it look like she was working hard around her two-year anniversary, considering many people claimed that the Queen had given Kate and William a “two-year holiday” before becoming full-time working royals. Although we don’t know for sure if the Queen ever said or did that. What I do know is that Kate has been spotted shopping a lot this month, and that she made an appearance at friend’s wedding a few weekends ago, wearing that same polka-dotted dress. And wouldn’t you know, a gust of wind came by and Kate flashed her duchess beav because of course she did. So how does Kate spend her time? She’s learning how to cook!

If it’s true that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, Prince William is about to fall in love with Kate Middleton all over again. A source tells Us Weekly that the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, 31, has been taking cooking classes from the couple’s new housekeeper, Antonella Fresolone.

Fresolone, the insider says, worked for 13 years at Buckingham Palace, where she was well-known for her “delicious” Italian cooking. (Among her specialties? Homemade pasta and freshly baked bread.) The Duke and his wife hired her three weeks ago, during which time she has been teaching mom-to-be Middleton how to make “a number of new dishes” in the small kitchen at Nottingham Cottage.

The expectant royal has been indulging her domestic side more and more in recent weeks, as her July due date grows ever closer. Earlier this month, she was spotted shopping for decor for the home she shares with Prince William. And on Saturday, she and her husband spent a “lazy weekend” together in London. (The Duke took a train up from Anglesey, Wales, to be with his wife before his royal engagements this week, which include a conference on illegal wildlife trade and the XXXVII Ordinary Union of European Football Associations Congress.)

The royal couple recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary. Following a trip to the Harry Potter and Batman exhibits at Warner Bros. Studios, they enjoyed a romantic dinner in London.

[From Us Weekly]

In the first months of their marriage, the royal propagandists often claimed that Kate was already an amazing cook and that William loved her food. Of course, I’ve always assumed that they probably had a part-time or full-time cook/housekeeper in Wales, so God knows how much Kate has really been cooking all along. Also: how different is a “lazy weekend” from a “normal weekend” with Will and Kate?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

For a while now, I’ve been letting the gender-guessing shenanigans for the royal baby just fall to the way-side. We’ll know what Duchess Kate and Prince William are having soon enough, and I’m actually looking forward to all of it – finding out the sex, finding out the name, finding out if Kate is actually back to living with her parents now and whether she plans to take the baby to her parents’ house for the first few months. We’ll know soon.

But! The UK tabloids are obsessed and it seems like everyone has Royal Baby Fever, so there has been endless reporting on potential baby names and endless speculation about the sex of the baby. A week ago, it was widely reported that Kate had gotten a BLUE stroller, which… obviously, blue = boy? And now there are reports that Harry is telling friends that Kate is definitely pregnant with a boy:

Prince Harry has been telling friends that Kate and William are expecting a boy, it was reported today. He is so happy about becoming an uncle he couldn’t keep the secret of the baby’s sex to himself.

The bookies are offering odds of 1/3 favourite on the Duchess of Cambridge having a girl and 5/2 for a boy, even though couple have made no official announcement about the baby due in mid-July.

But those odds may change after a source close to the Prince said: ‘Harry has been telling everyone Wills and Kate are having a boy and how thrilled he is at the prospect of having a little nephew. He said the whole family were excited about it. Apparently Kate has always wanted a boy. They’re really working hard on baby names now and think they have it sorted.’

Princess Eugenie, Prince William’s cousin, has also been telling friends the baby is a boy, according to another royal insider quoted by the Sunday People.

The source said: ‘They won’t reveal anything to ­anyone – not even Harry. Of course, Harry’s been making up crazy suggestions and winding them up too. The close inner circle all know that it’s a boy and they’re busily buying gifts with a boy theme. There will be an awful lot if blue in their house.’

Although the couple have kept mum about the baby’s name, Kate, 31, has accidentally dropped a couple of hints about the sex of the child in recent months. In March she appeared to suggest a girl was on the way when she given a teddy by a well-wisher during a walkabout in Grimsby.

She said: ‘I will take that for my d..’ – and then stopped herself. A nearby listener said: ‘You were going to say daughter, weren’t you? Kate replied: ‘No, we don’t know.’

A few days later Kate appeared to drop another clue as she revealed she had bought a Bugaboo pram in light blue which could indicate the newborn would be a boy. The pram’s colour came to light when Kate chatted to a group of Army wives at a reception on St Patrick’s Day.

Then Prince Harry was seen holding a blue teddy bear as he walked to Kensington Palace, the home he shares with Kate and William in London. But there was a simple explanation: The bear had been given to him by a little girl while he toured Nottingham. She asked him to give it to Kate’s baby and he delivered it in person.

But another insider added: “Even though there’s a lot of gossip doing the rounds, there’s no way anyone can confirm it at the moment.’

The paper claims that no decision has been made where Kate will have the baby, but the choice has been narrowed down to two hospitals.

Princess Diana Prince had William and Harry at St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, West London, while there is speculation that the child could be born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital – the birthplace of Kate and her sister Pippa.

[From The Mail]

Re: Kate saying “I’ll give this to my d” – I still think she was going to say “dog”. Anyway, sources claim that Kate wants a son and William was keen on a daughter. Personally, I’m kind of hoping it is a boy just because I think both William and Kate would do better with a son for their first child. And I just feel like there will be less drama (at first) with a boy. Plus, I just was not looking forward to William demanding that his baby girl should have the first name “Diana”. Even my Diana-loonie mother thought that was a bad idea.

So… at this point, I guess I kind of believe that they’re having a boy. What should they name him? These are the names that will be in the mix for first and middle names: George, Arthur, Phillip, Charles, Edward, Albert, Michael (for Kate’s dad), and maybe even Henry (Harry’s real name). Maybe John, which is by far my favorite of all of the royal name choices for a boy. How about John Charles Henry? John Phillip Charles? John Michael Charles? George Michael [Bluth]?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

As we discussed briefly yesterday – in between jelly h8r rants about hemlines! – Prince William and Duchess Kate did NOT seem to spend their second wedding anniversary together. William was reportedly in Wales, on duty at the RAF and Kate was in Winchester, making an appearance on behalf of one of her charity patronages.

Given the recent reports of physical distance between William and Kate, it does make me wonder what’s really going on. First there were stories about Kate wanting to go back home to live with her parents after she gave birth, then this weekend there was a story about Kate wanting to move back home BEFORE she gave birth. William, meanwhile, has yet to formally resign from the RAF, although every media outlet knows it’s coming so I don’t know what he’s waiting for. What I do know is that Kate is looking like the “hard worker” (relatively speaking) of the couple, as she’s undertaken so many solo ventures lately while William has been largely absent. So, what’s up? Are they already pretty much living apart? A lot of aristocratic couples do that, but usually it takes years to get into that kind “separate lives” groove. Then again, Will & Kate have been together for more than a decade already.

So, did they get to spend any time together for their anniversary? Us Weekly says yes, they did, but they just celebrated early. Sure.

Two years down, a lifetime to go. On this date, April 29, in 2011, the world watched a real-life fairy tale come true when Prince William married his longtime love, Kate Middleton, in an extravagant royal wedding at Westminster Abbey. Now, 24 months later, the happy couple are celebrating not just their second anniversary, but also the upcoming birth of their first child, heir to the British throne.

A rep for St. James’s Palace says, “I’m afraid we’re not giving any details on their anniversary plans, as [they are] private.” However, a source tells Us Weekly that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge already celebrated the special occasion, in anticipation of William, 30, being away on the actual wedding date because of his Royal Air Force duties.

“Today is, by tradition, their paper anniversary,” one insider tells Us. (In the U.K., the first anniversary is cotton; the second is paper.) “And yes, they have bought each other appropriate gifts.”

A second source says the Prince and his six-months-pregnant wife enjoyed a romantic dinner together in London on Friday, April 26, after finishing up their tour of the Harry Potter and Batman exhibits at Warner Bros. Studios. They were joined on the tour by Prince Harry but left without him in a Jaguar XJ. Following dinner, William went back to Anglesey, Wales, to resume his job as an RAF pilot. He will remain there on Monday.

Middleton will not be spending her anniversary alone, however. She’s currently visiting with kids and their families at Naomi House Children’s Hospice in Hampshire, England, as part of Children’s Hospice Week 2013.

[From Us Weekly]

My first thought was that they managed to sneak away on a mini-vacation while no one was looking. Perhaps a weekend away, financed by the Middletons? Usually we hear about those minibreaks though – but there’s a possibility that Kate and William have gotten smarter about sneaking around to go on holiday. Of course it’s just as possible that they barely did anything to celebrate their anniversary. Like, maybe Kate cooked and they watched the telly.

The “cotton/paper” thing threw me for a loop by the way – in America, the first anniversary is paper, not the second. Do you know what the third anniversary is? LEATHER. William should just go ahead and get her a leather miniskirt right now.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here are photos of Duchess Kate, Prince Harry and Prince William at the “inauguration” of the new Warner Brothers Studio in London. For whatever reason, this event brought out the worst in almost all of Duchess Kate’s bad habits. She wore a short dress that she was constantly adjusting and fooling with so it didn’t blow up and show her knickers, which is bad enough but especially peasant-y when you’re pregnant, right? When she wasn’t adjusting her dress, she was touching her hair. And in between hair-touching and skirt adjusting, she was looking adoringly at Harry (not William). It’s weird because she really has gotten better at doing solo appearances, right? But when she’s around the royal family, her little quirks/self-comforting mannerisms come out.

Anyway, Kate’s polka-dotted dress is by Topshop and it only costs £38. She paired it with a Ralph Lauren jacket which I’m sure is much more expensive. I don’t hate the mix of high-end and low-end at all. I don’t even mind the polka dots – this would have been really cute if only the dress were just a few inches longer. Just to her knees! Then it would have been appropriate and lovely. She wore her hair down, of course, which is okay for a day event. I think she’s weaning herself off of sausage curls too – she’s still curling her hair, but she’s brushing out the curls so that she achieves a more “wavy/bedhead” look. It’s pretty. My hair does that naturally when it’s humid.

While at the newly opened studio, Harry, William and Kate took a tour that included seeing Batman and Harry Potter paraphernalia and lots of other stuff. The Mail says that William and Harry were most interested in the “tumbler” from Batman – otherwise known as the Batmobile. You can read more about the event and see more photos here.

Photos courtesy of Lia Toby/WENN.com.

Even though we know that Prince William is totally going to quit the RAF at some point this year (probably right around the birth of his child), we still have to play along while William’s press office dithers around. God, I wish I worked in William and Kate’s press office. I know I wouldn’t last very long there, and I would probably be fired for yanking on Kate’s weave, but seriously – I could do a much better job with their press and I wouldn’t be afraid of speaking truth to power. I think William sees himself as some kind of media genius who can successfully manipulate the press to his every whim. But what is increasingly coming across is that William is a nit-picking narcissist who expects special treatment for everything. Just take this week’s People Magazine cover story:

Prince William may not let his six-months-pregnant wife, Kate, win at ping-pong – “Ahem, I think that was 6-2,” he teased after beating her in an impromptu match at a Scotland youth center April 4 – but he is getting ready to make bigger concessions to his family-in-the-making.

A source close to William tells PEOPLE the prince will soon announce he’s leaving the RAF Valley – a search-and-rescue helicopter unit based in Anglesey, Wales. His work there kept him away from Kate, and the cozy farmhouse they shared with dog Lupo, for as many as 10 24-hour shifts each month.

William has said he loves his work with the RAF, but he loves his wife and baby-to-be even more.

“He’s ready for the next step,” says the source. The couple’s baby joy has brought them even closer, say those who know them. “They’ve always been close but it’s been much more pronounced since she has become pregnant,” says royals author Judy Wade.

[From People Magazine]

I feel like William is trying to maximize his goodwill by playing his RAF exit as a choice for “modern parenting” – like he’s choosing his baby over his career. When really he had exhausted the RAF with his vacations and royal duties and he and Kate found every excuse they could to be away from Wales, and there are many questions as to whether William even fulfilled his most basic RAF duties.

So, how would I do this if I was working in their press office? First, I would stop drawing this out. William should have announced his intentions MONTHS ago. He should have been the one announcing it too, by making a speech in which he spoke about his military service, about veterans and his role as the future head of state. He should be framing his RAF service as part of his larger education for his future role as king, because the impression William has left to many people is that the RAF was a part-time gig he did to avoid working as a full-time royal, that the RAF was just what he did because everything else was so awful.

Meanwhile, The Mail has a lengthy story on how William will become the new patron to The Duke of Edinburgh’s favorite charity, Fields of Trust. You can read about it here – it’s basically a trust to protect the national playing fields. Prince Phillip has always been keen on athletics and getting kids to play games and such. William will be taking over as president of the trust at the end of the year when Phillip retires. And don’t think I’m leaving out Kate! She will become “godmother” to a new cruise ship, the Royal Princess, on June 13. The Mail says that it will probably be her last public appearance before her “maternity leave” begins. HAHAHA. You know her maternity leave is going to last a long time, right?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here are some photos of the Count Earl and Countess of Strathearn (William and Kate) and the Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles and Baron Renfrew (otherwise known as Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales) in Dumfries, Scotland today. I’m trying to be correct and use their Scottish titles! I think the “Duke of Rothesay” sounds particularly dashing. “Baron Renfrew” could be a sexy title too. “The Countess of Strathearn” sounds like a wealthy divorcée looking for some strange. Anyway…

So, Kate, William and Charles were all out and about today in Scotland to attend the official opening of the Tamar Manoukian Outdoor Centre at Dumfries House. Kate’s coat is Armani, apparently, and it’s being described as “old” (some eagle-eyed Kate-Fashion-Watchers claims she wore this years ago to William’s passing-out parade at Sandhurst). Meaning, I think, that she’s owned this coat for a while and it still fits even though she’s on the cusp of entering her third trimester. Incidentally, I LOVE the coat. I always want her to wear brighter colors, and she looks particularly good in reds, corals and jewel tones. And look, the coat is an appropriate length! And she’s wearing a longer skirt or dress underneath it too! When she leans down to talk to children, she is no longer flashing her royal baby-maker. Amazing. Do you think some palace official had a “word” with her about her hemlines, or do you think she just knew that she needed to tone down the crotch-grazing minis in the presence of her father-in-law?

Also notable: Kate’s scarf! That is the official tartan of Strathearn, apparently (if I’m wrong, please correct me). She’s carried the scarf before, during royal appearances in Scotland, but this might be the first time she’s actually worn it as a scarf? I wish I had an official tartan. I think the Strathearn tartan looks amazing with the Armani coat.

PS… Barely any sausage curls during the second trimester, have you noticed? It’s an improvement. And while I still wish she would pull her hair back more often, she’s gotten SO MUCH better at not constantly touching her hair in public.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here are some more photos of Countess Kate and Prince William in Glasgow yesterday. I’m including pics of Kate playing ping-pong and basketball at the Donald Dewar Leisure Centre in Drumchapel, which was apparently the launch of some new project for William, Harry and Kate’s Foundation. Really, I’m just writing about them again because yesterday I ignored this one part of their Scottish trip, and now it’s everywhere. When William and Kate were greeting waiting fans outside one of their events, William greeted a little Scottish girl and her mum, and the mum said her daughter wanted a kiss from the prince. William happily obliged (and honestly, he was very sweet about it), but when he leaned in to give the girl a peck, she backed off something fierce. William laughed and made a few self-deprecating jokes. Oh, and the girl went on to chat with Kate and give Kate the flower that the girl withheld from William. There’s video and photos:

It’s cute, right? I think William handled that situation really well. Just think, 300 years ago, the king-to-be would have yelled “Off with ‘er head!” No, I jest. Whatever happened, it’s not a situation where “this little girl hates William”. She’s probably just shy and she got overwhelmed when she saw him.

Meanwhile, Us Weekly has a story about Countess Kate’s baby name choices:

Whether she wants it or not, Kate Middleton is receiving baby name suggestions from her friends. The pregnant Duchess of Cambridge visited Quarriers Stopover Project in Glasgow, Scotland on Thursday, April 4 with husband Prince William and opened up about her royal pregnancy.

While chatting with the project manager of the homeless shelter, which provides short-term housing for 14 people between age 16 and 25, Middleton, 31, talked about her due date and if she’s thought of any baby names.

“It’s around mid-July, but apparently babies have their own agenda,” she joked. Middleton kept her baby bump covered up during her travels throughout Scotland on Thursday under a short tartan Molah brand “Workers” coat.

Though they still have time, the first-time mom-to-be said she’s struggling to come up with a baby name. “We have a short list for both [boy and girl] but it’s very difficult,” she confessed. But she’s also getting some help, Middleton added, “My friends keep texting me names.”

During her visit, Caitlin Tominey, 17, gifted Middleton with a wool baby bonnet, teddy bear and onesie. “It’s very sweet of you, I’ll keep it safe for the big day,” Middleton said. “I’ve been trying to knit and I’m really bad. I should be asking you for tips.”

Meanwhile, her husband, 30, was trying out his skills at DJ’ing. “It’s difficult,” he said. “I think I should come better prepared next time.”

After their visit, Quarriers Chief Executive Paul Wood told reporters, “William and Kate were extremely relaxed and really in touch with the young people and understand the problems they face.”

[From Us Weekly]

Her friends text her baby names? How peasanty! Seriously, does Kate not know that the Royal Baby Name List is finite? Princess Anne really threw everybody for a loop when she named her daughter Zara (but Zara is a commoner, so people didn’t care *that* much). The choices for a girl are: Victoria, Elizabeth, Diana, May, Anne (or Anna), Charlotte… and that’s about it. Choices for boys are: Charles, George, Henry, William, Phillip, Arthur, Edward and maybe Robert (if you’re feeling avant-garde). There will be no Madisons or Lincolns or Taylors.

Photos courtesy of WENN.com.

Here are some new photos of Prince William and Duchess Kate in Scotland, only we’re not supposed to refer to them by their English titles while they are visiting (or in residence in) Scotland. They shall be referred to as the Count and Countess of Strathearn. Countess Kate (Countess Catherine) has a nice ring to it, and she’s still not a princess! And yes, nit-pickers, I know calling her “Countess Catherine” isn’t correct either, it should be HRH Catherine, the Countess of Strathearn. But my choice is still Countess Waity, duchess of biscuits.

Kate and William are doing a “two-day tour” of Scotland, which began today in Glasgow. Kate wore a tartan coat by Moloh which costs £425. What is the deal with Countess Kate’s maternity hemline?! It’s like pregnancy has made her go back to her “royal girlfriend” roots and she’s back to wearing Issa minidresses. I’m just saying, someone at Buckingham Palace needs to talk to her about her hemlines, because when you’re a countess, the world should not be your gynecologist. You got the ring, baby girl, so stop showing off your baby maker.

Meanwhile, did you read this odd story in People Magazine yesterday? We’ll discuss it below:

Is there a new queen of hearts in the making? One 10-year-old British fan of Kate sure thinks so.

When the Duchess of Cambridge, 31, learned via a letter to her office that one of her biggest fans, Isabella Clarkson, missed her appearance in the young girl’s hometown of Grimsby because of bad weather, Kate felt so bad that she wrote back to express her appreciation.

Isabella, a student at Old Clee Academy and her siblings, Alice, 8, and Reuben, 4, had all set out to see the pregnant royal, who drew thousands of well-wishers for a March 5 visit to their town. But Kate’s helicopter was late because of thick fog, putting her an hour and a half behind, the Grimsby Telegraph reported.

While all the students at Old Clee were taken to one of the tour sites for the visit, they were also let down after waiting in freezing weather for a glimpse of Kate. Many had brought gifts and flowers, but Isabella was only able to catch a glimpse of Kate’s hand waving as her car passed.

“I’d spent ages making a glittery banner to hold the night before, but I don’t think she saw it,” said a dejected Isabella. “I wrote a letter to her afterwards saying how disappointed we all were not to get to meet her – and then we got a reply.”

So excited was Isabella’s mother, Jackie, that she brought the letter from St. James Palace to Isabella’s school where her teacher read it out loud. The note said Kate “immensely touched” Isabella took the time to write. A photo of Kate was also included as a memento.

Isabella said she plans to frame the letter and keep it, noting that Kate is honoring her late mother-in-law with her generosity. “I think Kate is doing all the good work that Princess Diana did and she seems very generous,” Isabella told the Telegraph.

Added Isabella’s mother, Jackie, who was the one who had encouraged her daughter to write: “I knew she would get a reply and that it would cheer her up. It’s a lovely thing for her to keep and look back on in the future, especially as Kate will be Queen one day.”

[From People]

Did you get why Kate was being praised? First, she showed up hours late to a scheduled event because her helicopter pilot didn’t want to fly in the fog. So, she showed up late and didn’t get out of her car to greet the children who had been waiting for hours outside to see her in the cold. So when one of the children wrote to Kate, Kate’s office sent a letter and a photo of the duchess. And that’s why she’s being praised as the new Queen of Hearts. Seriously. I’m not calling for armed revolution or anything, but how can this story be promoted as something “good”? How is this a story about Kate not doing her royal duties?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

I completely missed this until now! I’m sorry. According to Us Weekly, Prince William is definitely going to be leaving the RAF this year, which has long been the rumor. The rumors I’ve heard are complicated – for one, William’s superiors in the RAF have been very displeased with William’s service. He takes off lots of time, not just for his royal duties, but for vacations and the like. Another rumor: William and Kate are kind of tired of pretending they like being in Wales (where William is supposedly stationed full-time). Kate is always finding excuses to come to London or spend time at her parents’ house, and I get the impression that William would probably like to be in London more often too. So, while this news isn’t a surprise, it’s going to be really interesting to see how they play this:

Prince William has handed in his pink slip. The heir to the British throne, 30, has submitted his formal notice with the Search and Rescue Force at Royal Air Force Valley in Anglesey, Wales, a military source confirms exclusively to Us Weekly. The helicopter pilot’s current tour with the RAF concludes this summer.

“William is ready to take on new challenges – as a royal and within the armed forces,” the insider explains. Indeed, come July, William and pregnant wife Kate Middleton will take on the biggest new challenge of all: Parenthood!

The source adds that William “will be making an announcement within the next month and leave RAF Valley around the time of the birth.”

“The decision as to what the Duke will do once his current tour with the Search and Rescue Force comes to an end in late summer is still with the Duke himself,” William’s press officer explained to Us when asked about the royal’s career plans. (It was announced on Tuesday, March 26 that Britain’s search-and-rescue helicopter service is set to be privatized, after being operated by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for more than 50 years. Texas-based firm Bristow scored the winning bid to operate Britain’s “SAR” going forward.)

This week, William and Kate, 31, are spending some “time together” at their Anglesey cottage, another source tells Us. It’s actually the Duchess of Cambridge’s first stay in Anglesey since she became pregnant late last year. “She is feeling great at the moment,” the source adds.

Until now, Kate and William have endured a modified long distance scenario during the pregnancy — with the Duchess staying behind at their Kensington Palace residence in London. “William wishes he could be there with Kate more, but it’s not possible every day,” a royal source says. “They make it work as best they can.”

During William’s absences, the mom-to-be has been tending to her charity engagements and patronages — and honing her Photoshop skills. “She has been working away on a photo project that she’s not telling anyone about yet,” the source says.

[From Us Weekly]

And this is what I said years ago when William decided to train to be a search & rescue pilot – while I think William should be admired and praised for wanting to do a difficult job, the bottom line of the matter is that the military (the British taxpayers) spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for William to be trained for a job he would only have for a few years, a job in which he really doesn’t even do full-time.

Meanwhile, William took part in a BBC documentary about his work in the RAF. People Magazine has this breathless report:

Prince William is proud of saving lives, which he has the opportunity to do on his missions as a search and rescue pilot.

“There’s no greater feeling than when you’ve actually done some good and saved someone’s life,” the prince, 30, says in an upcoming documentary. “I don’t think there’s any greater calling in life … to be able to see a son or daughter’s face when you bring their mother or father back from the edge of death – it’s quite powerful.”

Flt. Lt. Wales, as he is known in the RAF, appears in a new series called Helicopter Rescue which starts broadcasting on BBC One Wales on April 8. It is the second series of the show that was first broadcast in 2012. This year follows the crews at William’s base on Anglesey and the RMB Chivenor base in Devon, England. In one scene, William is the captain as the crew is called to an old slate quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales, where a boy has fallen off an old railway bridge onto rocks.

“As captain you’re trying to play out the entire rescue, the transit to the rescue and back again in your mind, and pick up any circumstances or problems you can foresee, and try and fix them on the ground before you get airborne,” William says.

[From People]

Sure. I never doubted that William enjoyed the work or that this was a good, admirable project for him to undertake. My qualm was always about how this was never going to be his career. He was always going to be a part-time rescue pilot for a few years until he decided to begrudgingly take on his public role.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Yay! Duchess Kate is wearing a new outfit! Huzzah! See? I don’t complain when she wears new outfits – I complain when she goes shopping every other day and barely manages one charitable visit a month. But this is a happy day because she wore a new outfit AND she made a charitable visit. Kate and Prince William made an appearance at Child Bereavement UK Charity which “gives families access to support and information when a child grieves or dies.”

Kate wore a rather mod/awesome wool crepe “Redgrave” coat by Goat, which was over a black and white minidress by Topshop, black tights/hose and a pair of Kate’s favorite black shoes (she’s not a shoe person). Although I’m typically against Peter Pan collars (I associate them with Rosemary’s Baby, no joke), I particularly like this gorgeous coat and I love the clean, mod vibe Kate is working. I love a smart black-and-white look, and Kate did well here. One complaint: Kate’s hemline problem has overtaken her Button Problem. The shortness of this skirt does not say “I’m sorry for your grief.” That hemline says “My legs are holding up really well with this pregnancy, don’t you think?”

I also have to say… this is the happiest Kate has looked in a while, right? She’s super-animated and I swear, in some of the photos she was even doing a funny little walk to amuse the crowd. Maybe she’s really happy that she doesn’t have to spend an extra 30 minutes a day doing her hair in perfect sausage curls? Because although she seems to have curled her hair a bit, it really feels like she’s finally let go of her beloved sausage curls. HUZZAH!

Photos courtesy of WENN.