Duchess Kate and Prince William did some “work” today! Amazing! They took in the races last Friday, their first public appearance together in a long time (and it was just for fun too), and now here they are at an event for the Irish Guards to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. William was in one of his dress uniforms (he’s a colonel in the Irish Guards) and Kate wore the same green Emilia Wickstead coat dress that she wore last year to the exact same event… which is incredibly lazy, in my opinion. In all of the shopping she does, she couldn’t be bothered to pick up another green outfit? She had to repeat the same coat dress that she wore exactly one year ago on St. Patrick’s Day to the same annual event? I mean, I guess she styled it differently – she’s wearing a different hat, she removed the belt and last year, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath the coatdress. You can read more about the event here.

During the event, Kate’s heel got caught in some kind of drainage grate, and she laughed and held on to William as she corrected her heel. It happens! I’m not going to slam her for that or anything, those are some of the cutest photos – William holding on to her hand to steady her as she fixes her shoe. Poor Katy. She’s going to need a lot of shopping and another vacation after this trying day.

Oh, and she’s wearing her hair back! That only happens once every four months or so. It happens so rarely, it’s a banner occasion! I know a lot of you are on Waity-Weave-Watch (which I sometimes see and sometimes I think it might be her real hair, so I don’t know), but I have question: she’s wearing some kind of hair piece in the back in these photos, right? She doesn’t have enough hair to put in that massive hairstyle, correct?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.

Duchess Kate covers this week’s issue of Us Weekly, which is a pretty good editorial choice. I’d like to see the breakdown of cover sales, but I suspect that every American tabloid which puts Kate on the cover with a headline involving something about “pregnancy secrets” will probably be a big seller. And Us Weekly actually does have some interesting pieces of info too – and I trust Us Weekly more than the Enquirer, of course. There’s a solid possibility that this stuff is true!

Ever since Kate Middleton dropped a hint that she was expecting a baby girl, people have been speculating which name has been chosen for the new heir to the throne. According to a new report, Kate and her husband Prince William already have their picked her name picked out — but did Diana make the cut?

Kate and William, who have yet to publicly announce the gender of their baby, have referred to the royal baby as their “little grape.” But with increasing speculation that the royal baby is a girl — Kate hinted she was having a daughter on March 5 at an appearance — an insider has revealed the name they have selected!

The name of their little girl will be (drumroll please…)

Elizabeth Diana Carole, in honor of William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth! The middle names will also be in tribute of their parents, William’s late mother Princess Diana, and Kate’s mom Carole. Carole is also the Latin variation of the name Charles, and Elizabeth is Kate’s mom’s middle name!

While many speculated that the couple would name their baby in honor of Princess Diana, Elizabeth resonates with the both William and Kate more, since the name also runs in Kate’s family. Plus, Queen Elizabeth hadn’t been a huge fan of Lady Diana when she was in the royal family — and the royal couple can honor the Queen, since their baby (boy or girl) will be the next heir to the throne.

Queen Elizabeth has welcomed not only the Duchess, but also her parents into the royal family with open arms, and what better way to show respect than with the royal baby carrying her name!

[From Hollywood Life]

Elizabeth Diana Carole? Isn’t that what I said MONTH AND MONTHS ago? That is such a boring choice. I mean, obviously all three names have significance to William and Kate, but are they seriously not going to mix it up at all? Not even throw in one unexpected name? But… I like the idea of Elizabeth for the first name, mostly because it invites so many nicknames. She can be Liz, Beth, Lizzie, Liza, Betty, Eliza, or the Queen’s own nickname, Lilibet. Lizzie Wales is adorable. Eliza Wales is cute too. And OF COURSE “Carole” was in the mix too. And I’m so happy that they’re not considering Diana for the first name. Please don’t let them use Diana as the first name. That’s too much history and too many expectations to give to a child.

Of course, this could all be moot. It might be a boy because I’m not entirely convinced that Kate “slipped” and insinuated that she’s having a girl. I think a boy’s name will include Phillip, Henry, Michael and Charles, but they might go for a first name that hasn’t been used in a while. Like George, Edward or Arthur. Teddy Wales? How cute is that?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Duchess Kate and Prince William were on another holiday! Sort of. I mean, I don’t doubt that their trip to Switzerland was relaxing, but they actually had a purpose for being there – their friends were getting married, and William was one of the ushers or groomsmen or something. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to the photos – go here to see Kate having some downtime before the wedding by going sledding, and go here to see photos of Kate, William and Harry at the wedding. Kate wore a repeat MaxMara dress, a repeat pillbox hat and a new-seeming coat with a fur shawl collar.

The Duchess of Cambridge arrived at a wedding in a different kind of carriage Saturday – a bus.

She and brother-in-law Prince Harry were spotted with a group of friends as they hopped off the coach for nuptials in the Swiss mountains.

They were there for the wedding of close friend and polo player Mark Tomlinson, who married Olympic equestrian Laura Bechtolsheimer in the town of Arosa.

Dressed in a pale coat accentuated with brown fur trim, a familiar James Lock hat and a Max Mara dress she’s wore previously underneath, an expectant Kate was seen walking “gingerly up the steps to the church,” an onlooker tells PEOPLE. “She was being very careful in her heels.”

Her husband William – in traditional tailcoat – had previously arrived due to his role as an usher at the ceremony.

As guests arrived, police cordoned off an area so locals could catch a glimpse. “There was a big crowd there, and the police closed the street,” the onlooker adds.

The couple are among 250 guests, including the royals’ close friends James Meade and fiancée Laura Marsham, Guy Pelly and Olivia Hunt.

The Princes often spend summer afternoons playing polo with groom Tomlinson, who attended Marlborough College with Kate. The bride was part of the London 2012 Olympics team that also included William and Harry’s cousin Zara Phillips.

The family made a weekend of the trip – while William and Harry hit the slopes on Friday, Kate, who’s due in July, was spotted strolling with a sled in her hands rather than ski poles.

[From People]

As I said, I’m not going to slam them so hard for taking another vacation because this was a trip made specifically for a wedding, and these are friends of William and Harry. It’s just funny to me that St. James Palace works so hard to emphasize and draw out Kate’s meager charity work (one scheduled event this month – ONE!!!) and the press is forced to act like she still feels so, so bad with her pregnancy meanwhile she’s flying to Mystique and sledding in Switzerland and shopping all day in London. Yes, that was the other story that broke over the weekend – shopaholic Waity bought a dress! That’s seriously the news we get from Kate these days. And why do you think it’s going to be any different a year from now? Five years from now? She doesn’t give a crap about her role as a public servant.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I just thought you’d like to see the big Star Mag cover for The Great Waity Pregnant Bikini Photo Scandal of 2013. Here you go! I can’t jack the inside images, but it’s not really necessary because Star put the best ones on their cover anyway. You get the idea – Kate, in profile, with a small baby bump and slightly larger boobs. There is one photo inside where there’s another angle and her bump looks a little bit bigger, but that’s about it. As for the “photo flap” which “riled the royals” – I’ve been pleased to see that there has been some push-back against the royal family for their hissy fit regarding these pics. The general consensus – amongst even the more conservative and pro-monarchy UK papers – is that the royals are making a mountain out of a molehill and that the whole trumped up controversy is too “precious” and William in particular needs to “stop fussing”. Well done!

As for this Star Mag cover story… here are some highlights:

*The first lines of the story includes the phrases “after months of excruciating nausea and debilitating weakness” and “much-deserved vacation”. Sigh.

*A source claims: “Kate really wanted to get away one last time before the baby is born and Willian agreed that it would be a great idea.” They act like this is their last vacation ever. What do you think it going to happen when Kate gives birth? She’s going to need a full year off to shop and go on vacation!!!

*A friend: “This holiday was just the tonic she needed.” Poor Waity!

*William and Kate stayed at $7.8 villa in Mustique while Carole, Michael, James and Pippa Middleton stayed at a “separate estate”. That’s interesting, isn’t it? It adds a wrinkle to that whole “the Middletons pay for Kate and Will to vacation so much” thing.

*A source claims: “Kate said she loved the feeling of being pregnant and how it’s transformed her body. She even joked about how the pregnancy is making her butt bigger but despite that, she feels sexy!” What, Kate can’t feel sexy AND have a big butt?!

*A friend reveals: “William keeps telling his wife how amazing her new curves are. They are really making an effort to reconnect on this trip and go back to being just a normal couple for a while.”

*An onlooker: “What’s shocking is how passionate they still are… William joined Kate for an early morning swim, they were touching and kissing in the waves, and when they came out of the water, he got down on his knees in front of Kate and kissed her baby bump. He then hugged her and held her as they watched the sunrise together. You could tell it was a magical moment for them.” Aw. That’s actually really sweet.

*Poor little Waity, can’t do anything for herself, wanted to vacation with her whole family because “this way she can really relax, knowing her whole family is taking care of her.” And William is fine with it because “he loves his in-laws.” He has become William Middleton, hasn’t he?

Cover courtesy of Star, additional photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

I already covered Part 1 of The Great Waity Bikini Photo Flap of 2013. This is Part 2, wherein various tabloid editors push back against the Palace and Prince William’s friends start whining about Will and Kate’s treatment. Lost in the discussion, as always, is the conversation people should be having about how many vacations Will and Kate take and how extraordinarily lazy they are. To recap, while on vacation in Mustique with the Middleton family, Kate was photographed in a bikini on the beach. Sources now claim that it was a non-paparazzo who photographed her – like, it was just some resident or vacationer on the beach who snapped the photos and sold them. And they did get sold – to tabloids in four different countries (and counting). Star Mag put the pics on their cover this week, as did Chi (an Italian ‘bloid) and Woman’s Day (an Aussie ‘bloid). Here’s more:

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge faced fresh anguish over privacy today after Italian and Australian magazines published photographs of pregnant Kate in a bikini and more publications round the world lined up to do the same. Palace sources condemned the ‘violating’ pictures, which show the couple walking along a beach while holidaying on the secluded Caribbean island of Mustique. MailOnline understands publishers in the United States, France and Germany have also bought the set for more than £100,000 in total.

Italian gossip magazine Chi, which caused outrage when it published a photograph of Princess Diana as she lay dying, splashed pictures of the duchess and her growing baby bump across its front page. Australian magazine Woman’s Day has also printed the pictures, as well as photographs of Kate’s sister Pippa in a bikini, claiming they were taken by a member of the public on a public beach.

Editor Fiona Connolly said the royal couple are not a ‘protected species’ outside Britain adding: ‘This is not a hard decision. Kate’s on a public beach, there are other holiday-makers there and she looks fabulous.’

However, Mustique is a private island and there is an expectation of privacy for anyone holidaying there because the paparazzi is banned. The headline on the front of Chi, which goes on sale today, reads ‘Kate and William – honeymoon for three’.

Woman’s Day editor Fiona Connolly said she had no qualms about running the pictures, insisting they were taken by a fellow tourist on Mustique – and not a paparazzo. They have published a poster today showing pictures of Kate to promote their next edition, which is out on Monday.

‘She is on a public beach and she was mingling with holiday makers,’ she said. She told News Ltd that there were other tourists in the photos and ‘it’s a very different situation to the nude photos. There is no photographer hiding in the bushes and she is not inside a private villa,’ said Miss Connolly.

But Miss Connolly said Australians did not view the royal family as a ‘protected species’ like the British. ‘The British have a great deal more sensitivity to royals than we do here in Oz,’ she said. ‘As Australians, we see this every day. We see pregnant women in bikinis on the beach – and a public one at that – so we are a lot less sensitive here. Our readers are going to love these photos. I don’t expect any backlash at all really. I think she’s looking fabulous and healthy and (with) a beautiful bump, like we haven’t seen her before. Kate looks so much better than the poorly and sickly woman we saw coming out of hospital, which makes these photos more of a celebration.’

It is not known how much the magazine has paid for the exclusive Australian rights to the photos, which, said Miss Connolly, would eventually be published around the world. ‘Everyone but the UK has or will publish these pics,’ she said.

Last night, royal sources said William, in particular, still felt ‘very bruised’ about the fresh breach of privacy so soon after the same magazine splashed topless photographs of Kate across its front page beneath the headline ‘the queen is naked’.

The source said William felt very strongly at the time that he had somehow ‘failed’ to protect his wife.

The photographs are believed to have been offered to several other magazines around the world and could fetch up to £250,000.

A palace source said: ‘It’s violating’. The duke and duchess, who are expecting their first child in July, flew to a £19,000-a-week luxury villa on the island of Mustique last week.

[From The Mail]

Again, she’s in a bikini on a public beach of a private island. If you don’t want to be photographed in a bikini, don’t wear a bikini at the beach. #pippatips Also: Kate has a long history of being bikini-clad. For years, the tabloids ran photos of bikini-clad Kate on vacation in various tropical locales. Why all the angst this time? Because now she’s a duchess? Because she’s pregnant? Because she’s still always on vacation? I like what the Aussie editor had to say, and I’m looking forward to some international push-back against William and Kate.

Some 2006 photos of Kate in a bikini:

Photos courtesy of Chi, Star Magazine, Fame/Flynet and WENN.

Hey, you know how poor, pitiful, overworked, exhausted Duchess Kate took a grueling eight-hour flight to Mustique last week so that she and Prince William could enjoy a fancy vacation? True story. Kate has literally made three two public appearances in the past three months, which means that she was sorely overdue for yet another vacation. Well, while on vacation in Mustique, some photographer got some snaps of the pregnant duchess in a bikini. The photos have been sold to Chi Magazine, one of the European tabloids that ran Kate’s naked-vacation photos last year. And the palace is super-pissed!

Another royal photo flap is brewing.

This times it’s over pictures of a pregnant Kate in a bikini that are set to be published.

The Duchess of Cambridge was vacationing on the beach with husband Prince William on the private island of Mustique last week when the long-lens shots were taken.

“We are disappointed that photographs of the Duke and Duchess on a private holiday look likely to be published overseas,” a spokesman for the couple at St. James’s Palace tells PEOPLE. “This is a clear breach of the couple’s right to privacy.”

The photos are expected to be published in Chi magazine this week – six months after the publication printed photos of Kate, 31, sunbathing topless while the couple were on their tour of South East Asia.

[From People]

A few questions…

*Is it still considered a “private” vacation when the British taxpayers are paying for some or all of it? We don’t know who is paying for what, there is only the assumption that the Middleton family picked up the tab. And even then, taxpayers are paying for Kate and William’s security.

*Is this some kind of karmic retribution for being lazy? When everyone saw Kate’s nips last year, that was also because they were on vacation in France (after they lied about previous commitments to get out of doing appearances at the Special Olympics). And now this! Another “inappropriate photo op” involving nudity… while on vacation.

*Why is the “if she doesn’t want people to see her bits and pieces, she should her clothes on” argument never made? Is it because that argument is deemed “victim-blaming”? I don’t think it is, especially in this case. She was wearing a bikini on a beach!

*Why does St. James Palace get to dictate the terms of when is and is not “private” and “public” time with these two?

*Who is William going to scream at this time? Do you think we’ll get some reports in which “sources” describe how William is in the midst of yet another hissy fit? Alternate question: does Kate even care? Even with last year’s scandal, it seemed like she was the one who was more blasé about it, and I bet it’s the same situation now – William is the one freaking out and Kate doesn’t care.

*Why are photos of Kate in a bikini some big deal at this point? We’ve seen her in a bikini many times while she was on vacation over the years. We’ve seen her out of her bikini too.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Chi.

These are some photos from 2006, from a trip to Ibiza Prince William took with then Kate Middleton (his girlfriend of some-odd 3 or 4 years) and some friends. These are some of the rare photos we have of William and Kate’s many, many vacations of their on-and-off 11 years together. When they were just “dating,” they averaged about six to eight major vacations a year (not including weekend getaways), often with Kate’s parents and sometimes with William’s father. Since getting married in 2011, Kate and William have managed to keep up with their pre-engagement vacation schedule, even lying about their commitments or pushing aside royal duties so they could maintain their lay-about lifestyle.

Why bring this up? Because Prince William and Duchess Kate are on vacation right now. SHOCKING. They are in Mustique with Kate’s parents – this is one of the Middletons’ annual traditions, going to Mustique in January or February when, like, no one else has time off. I don’t really get it.

MUM-to-be the Duchess of Cambridge has jetted to the Caribbean for a holiday with Prince William after recovering from her morning sickness, The Sun can reveal.

Kate, 31 — who was hospitalised in December — is staying at a £19,000-a-week villa on the island of Mustique.

The luxury pad boasts an infinity pool, games room and stunning views of the Caribbean Sea. And the royal couple also have Kate’s parents Michael and Carole staying nearby.

Last night a source revealed: “The Duke and Duchess have joined the Middletons for a winter break. Both William and Kate were hoping her condition would not stop her from making the eight-hour flight to Barbados and the connection to Mustique. A month ago such a journey would have been unthinkable for her, so this is a clear sign she has made a virtual recovery.”

Kate and Wills, 30, have enjoyed more than six holidays on Mustique since they started dating. It was a favourite hideaway for his great aunt Princess Margaret.

[From The Sun]

At first I was like, “Oh, it’s The Sun, it’s probably BS.” But Us Weekly & People Mag confirmed it. It’s happening. They are staying at a $30,000-a-week villa, and Poor Brave Kate needs to be applauded for being so BRAVE as to undertake a grueling 8-hour flight… so that she could take a vacation. Again. The poor thing!

Hilariously, St. James Palace had to do some quick counter-programming because they knew the vacation story was going to break, so they released information yesterday that Kate (the poor, delicate, brave little sausage) was going to undertake her second public appearance on February 19th. That will be her second official public appearance in three months, I believe.

Kate Middleton isn’t scaling back her royal responsibilities. The pregnant Duchess of Cambridge will visit Hope House, Action on Addiction, in London on Tuesday, Feb. 19, St. James’ Palace announced on Tuesday, Feb. 5. This will be the 31-year-old’s second official appearance since announcing her pregnancy in December 2012.

Middleton will meet clients and staff at the 23-bed residential treatment center. Action on Addiction offers a safe place for women to recover from substance abuse; they are also given additional support for other compulsive disorders. Prince William’s pregnant wife became a patron of Action on Addiction in January 2012.

The mom-to-be has been seen in public only a handful of times since revealing her baby news late last year. She attended the unveiling of her first official portrait at the National Portrait Gallery on Jan. 11. “I thought it was brilliant,” Middleton told curators of the painting, created by Glasgow-born, South African-raised artist Paul Emsley.

In the following weeks, Middleton was spotted purchasing maternity clothes at JoJo Maman Bebe and browsing the racks at Reiss. Due in July, the duchess also emerged from Kensington Palace to order a drink from Starbucks and take her dog Lupo for a walk.

While royal parents have historically hired full-time teams to assist with newborns, Middleton and her 30-year-old husband want to handle the bulk of the childrearing, a source recently told Us Weekly: “They want to be as hands-on as possible.”

[From Us Weekly]

So Kate is so brave, so resilient, so tough, so amazing, so admirable to be shopping until she drops all over London, then jetting off for a tropical vacation, and then we have to be super-grateful that she deigns to make one public appearance every eight weeks or so? Seriously – what in the world is up with William and Kate’s publicity team? They are really crappy at their jobs. They wouldn’t have to work this hard if just one of them would sit down with William and Kate and tell them directly: “Stop taking so many vacations. Do some actual work. People will like you more if you stop looking so damn lazy.”

Photos courtesy of PR Photos.

Duchess Kate came out of hiding! Kate and William went to the National Portrait Gallery in London today for the official unveiling of Kate’s new (and first, I think) portrait. Before we talk about her fashion, let’s just get the portrait stuff done, okay? Because the portrait is TERRIBLE. It’s not her fault – the artist, Paul Emsley, kind of went out of his way to make Kate look old, sad, exhausted, constipated and smug. At various times she’ll look tired or something, but she rarely looks this bad in public! I don’t know why the portrait didn’t involve Kate’s toothy smile, or why THE SAUSAGE CURLS MUST BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIME, as if the sausage curls now officially belong to the British zeitgeist. I also think this is how Kate looked before she had her subtle eye work done before the engagement announcement. Here’s the portrait… prepare yourselves:

It’s just terrible, right? All of the art critics think it’s awful too, with the Mail’s art critic even going so far as to call it “rotten”. Kate said she loved it, though. At the unveiling, she said, “I thought it was brilliant — it’s just amazing — absolutely brilliant.” William said it is “absolutely beautiful” too. And Kate thanked the artist for doing it.

As for how Kate looked at the unveiling… she looks okay. She doesn’t look like she’s put on any weight at all, and I can barely see anything of a bump variety. Sources claim that she’s already in her second trimester too, which worries me a little bit, but some women are just slow to gain pregnancy weight I guess. Her dress is from Whistles, and it’s cute. She really loves that ‘80s styling, doesn’t she? Because this dress would have looked completely appropriate on my dad’s secretary in 1983, sheer sleeves and all. By the way, as it turns out, Kate did NOT spend her 31st birthday quietly at home in Wales. She and William and the Middleton family went to see a Cirque Du Soleil show in London. Hunh.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

If she’s not careful, Duchess Kate will just work her little fingers to the bone! Haha. No, just kidding. Kate did something nice for one of her (few) charities, and Kate’s press office dutifully pushed a press release about it. What was the “nice” thing? Kate “managed to donate a baby hamper” for a charity auction for EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices). It’s nice. It’s not, like, the most groundbreaking and amazing charitable gift anyone has ever offered, but that’s fine. My problem is not that Kate donated something nice for a charity. My problem is with how the press and the band of royal sycophants treats her nice deed.

Kate Middleton hasn’t had an easy pregnancy, but she knows other parents have it far worse. And as a mother-to-be herself, she wants to help.

After announcing on Dec. 3 that she and husband Prince William, both 30, were expecting their first child, the Duchess quietly reached out to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), a charity that offers assistance for the loved ones of young people with serious, life-threatening diseases. (Her Royal Highness became a patron of the organization in January 2011.)

Despite being hospitalized at the time with hyperemesis gravidarum — a rare condition that can cause severe morning sickness, weight loss, dehydration, and fainting — Middleton managed to donate a baby hamper for EACH’s annual charity auction. According to the foundation’s website, EACH needs to raise more than 5.75 million pounds in public donations to deliver its services.

“EACH is invaluable to hundreds of families. In the past year there has been an unprecedented amount of care and support delivered to children and young people with life-threatening illnesses, and their families,” the mom-to-be says in a statement on the auction’s page online.

“I have been fortunate enough to meet some of those who have been supported by EACH, and seen firsthand the positive impact this organization has on their lives,” she continues. “For both families accessing care, and those who have been bereaved, EACH is a lifeline at an unimaginably difficult time.”

The pregnant Duchess has her own lifelines in her husband and in the couple’s families, who supported her through her recent illness and hospitalization.

Since returning home in early December, the first-time mom-to-be has been taking it relatively easy. On Christmas day, she and William skipped Queen Elizabeth’s annual gathering at Sandringham in favor of a more low-key celebration with Middleton’s parents and siblings in Bucklebury. They later joined the royal family for the traditional Boxing Day festivities on Dec. 26.

[From Us Weekly]

I’m sure there will be a lot of bids and the hamper will probably bring in a lot of money, and more people will become aware of the charity auction, which is a great thing. This made me wonder though… I wonder how much baby stuff is being sent to Will & Kate these days? Kate has always made it a priority that she doesn’t accept freebies or discounts, but I do wonder if they aren’t making an exception for all of the free baby stuff they’re getting from companies who want the newborn prince or princess to be seen wearing their products. It would be interesting if Kate and Will decide to donate all of that stuff too.

Two more stories for you… one, The Mail says that the Queen is making it clear that Will and Kate will have their own little (“little”) cottage on her Sandringham estate – you can see photos of “the cottage” here. It looks very much like an eight-bedroom mansion to me, but sure, a “cottage”. The cottage is called Anmer Hall, and it’s part of the Queen’s extensive Sandringham estate, which means that Will and Kate will have absolutely no excuse to NOT come to Sandringham for future Christmases. So this will probably be one of Kate and Will’s many “country estates” outside of London. Word is that the Queen and/or Charles will be getting them a Scottish estate too.

And the other story – Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, are being criticized yet again for seeming to “profit” from their royal connection. The Middleton company, Party Pieces, is currently selling “Little Princess” and “Little Prince” birthday party supplies and kits. Eh. It doesn’t offend me because… Party Pieces has always sold tacky knickknacks which often have some kind of royal flair. The Middletons profit from their daughter’s marriage in many, many ways, and in this particular case, I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

At the end of the year, it’s traditional for the UK papers to do a year-long count of how many public appearances/engagements/duties taken on per royal member. Duchess Kate and Prince William’s numbers are… low. As you can imagine. And Will & Kate Defenders, I know, you don’t even have to remind me. The palace said in 2011 that the Queen had given William and Kate a “grace period” in which they would slowly be eased into their royal duties, but their main priority would be to enjoy their first years of marriage, etc. But it’s still kind of devastating to see the hard numbers, especially in comparison to the hardest-working members of the royal family. Here’s what it boils down to:

Number of royal appearances by Kate in 2012: 111 (up from 34 in 2011)
Number of royal appearances by William in 2012: 88
Number of royal appearances by Harry in 2012: 61
Number of royal appearances by the Queen in 2012: 425 (up from 370 in 2011)
Number of royal appearances by Prince Phillip in 2012: 340 (up from 330 in 2011)
Number of royal appearances by Prince Charles in 2012: 592 (domestic & international)
Number of royal appearances by Princess Anne: 566 (domestic & international)

It’s kind of amazing that Kate managed to do more appearances than William, but we should make allowances for William and Harry because they have “full-time jobs” in the military. So if you look at it that way, Kate only managed to make 23 more appearances than her husband, who has a full-time job? Meanwhile, the Queen, Phillip, Anne and Charles are all “Check it, I can do 10 appearances in a day, y’all.”

And you know what is kind of funny to me? There’s been widespread reports of William’s shirking of his RAF duties, and over the past year, William’s press office has pushed many stories of all of the people he’s saved as a pilot. Which, granted, he has. But the stories seem to come out basically whenever William works, which doesn’t seem that often. Like, he’ll work for one weekend a month and magically there’s a story about how he saved someone. You can read the most recent story here – he saved a man’s life on New Year’s Day. After he had a long period of “time off.”

Meanwhile, poor Kate and her poor morning sickness. The Mail reports that Camilla (Duchess of Cornwall) has recommended something to soothe poor barfy Kate. Lavender biscuits!! Like, real biscuits made with lavender. Apparently, lavender is an old wives’ remedy for morning sickness and Camilla send some lavender shortbread cookies to Kate. She probably barfed a little bit when she heard the latest news about her future title too – this one’s got to hurt:

The Duchess of Cambridge is facing the prospect of never becoming Prince William’s Queen. MP John Hemming is attempting to ensure all spouses of reigning monarchs are officially known as Prince or Princess Consorts, with an amendment to the repeal of ancient royal primogeniture laws.

The wives of ruling Kings currently become Queen Consorts but the husbands of female monarchs have no right to any title – which is why the current Duke of Edinburgh is not known as King Philip.

The Liberal Democrat’s Early Day Motion says the Duchess of Cambridge would lose out on being called Queen Catherine when her husband William is crowned King, reported the Sunday Express.

‘It’s not right that a Queen Regnant is treated as less important than a King Regnant,’ he told the Sunday Express. ‘It seems sensible we resolve this issue when dealing with the primogeniture issue.’

The proposal also means Camilla would become Princess Consort when Prince Charles becomes King – which Clarence House has always insisted upon, following the couple’s previous divorces.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill was told by the Lord Chancellor in 1954 that Philip had no right to any title despite his wife Elizabeth II becoming Queen – but he was later given the title of Prince.

The current difference in title rights dates back to the custom of male primogeniture, which has meant that male heirs have traditionally leapfrogged their older sisters in the line of succession. But a new law to ensure the first child of the Duke and pregnant Duchess of Cambridge will succeed to the throne regardless of gender is being fast-tracked through Parliament.

Ending gender discrimination in the line of succession will involve changing some of the oldest laws on the Statute Book, including the Treason Act 1351, which was originally written in Norman French. A Clarence House spokesman told MailOnline of Mr Hemming’s possible amendment to the repeal, which the Commons will be asked to consider next month: ‘It’s a matter for the Government.’

[From The Mail]

So Kate would never be Queen – or she would never be called “Queen Catherine”. She would be Princess Catherine, or Princess Consort Catherine or something. She would probably be given some fancy new title but it would always be something involving “Princess” and not “Queen”. Hm.

Photos courtesy of WENN.