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.

I was kind of surprised by the backlash against Duchess Kate and Prince William for spending Christmas with her family instead of with the royal family. The tradition is to always – ALWAYS – spend Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham if you’ve got a title. Married royals cannot invite their commoner in-laws to the Queen’s Christmas celebrations, and everything is coordinated minute-by-minute. So… considering Kate is still so sick (?), it didn’t surprise me that she wanted to spend Christmas with her family. But there was still a backlash, because more and more it feels like William and Kate will do anything to avoid work, or making expected public appearances, or traditional royal events. So, what’s happening now? Well, they saw the backlash and they got their royal arses to Sandringham.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have finally joined the rest of the Royal Family for a belated Christmas celebration, after choosing to spend the festive season with the Middleton family instead. William and Kate arrived at Sandringham House, the Queen’s private estate in Norfolk, early on Boxing Day just in time for Prince Philip’s annual pheasant shoot.

It was the first time the Duchess had been seen in public since she attended her office party before Christmas. She was seen going to church with the Middleton family on Christmas Day but the Palace bizarrely requested that no pictures take of her were published.

The couple were driven the 155 miles from Kate’s new family home in Berkshire to East Anglia, a journey which takes around three and a half hours, by their Scotland Yard police protection officers. William, 30, then joined his grandfather and other relatives for a morning’s hunting while Kate, who is in the early stages of pregnancy, opted to remain at the house with the Queen as it was pouring with rain. The monarch has herself only just got over a heavy cold. But they did join their menfolk for a slap-up lunch at Wood Farm, a small lodge on the 20,000 acre estate, for a hearty lunch, chauffeur driven in a fleet of Land Rovers.

The meal was laid out in a conservatory area to the rear of the house and included cold meats, soup and flasks of steaming hot toddy, although clearly the Duchess stuck to soft drinks.

It is believed that Kate may have re-joined the shooting party after lunch, however, watching from the warmth of one of the cars.

Other members of the Royal Family present included the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Duke of York and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Prince Charles. Charles’s wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, who has two children and five young grand-children of her own, is believed to have left to spend time with them at her own home in Wiltshire.

Sources have told the Mail that William and Kate stayed at the royal residence overnight after the shoot and are likely to remain on the estate for at least another day before they are expected to fly to Scotland for the New Year. They tend to celebrate Hogmanay at Birkhall, Prince Charles’s private estate in the Highlands.

The couple’s surprise decision to skip the royals’ annual get-together in Norfolk in favour of a family Christmas at the Middleton’s new £4.85 million mansion in Berkshire was a distinct break with tradition. Royal aides said the couple had the full backing of both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and suggested that the decision had been taken in order to give Kate, who was hospitalised for three nights earlier this month with severe pregnancy-related vomiting and dehydration, the opportunity for a quiet family break.

They also asked members of the media to respect their privacy and not use any photographs taken of them, even when they attended a public service on Christmas Day at the Middleton’s village church. But the Mail now understands that the couple had always planned to spend the festive season with Michael and Carole Middleton at their new home, a Georgian manor set in extensive grounds. This suggests that the Cambridges may join other modern couples in spending alternate Christmases with their families in future – one of a series of changes the young Windsors are likely to ring in.

Next month St James’s Palace is to announce whether William plans to stay in the RAF, for whom he works as a Search and Rescue Pilot, after his tour of duty ends in September or leave to become a full-time working royal.

They are also due to reveal when the Cambridge’s new son or daughter, who will become third in line to the throne, is due. Assuming the child was conceived after their return from the South Pacific at the end of September, the child is likely to be born in early summer, a busy time for the couple who will be overseeing the final renovations to Apartment 1A, their new royal residence in Kensington Palace.

[From The Mail]

If this plan was put forth a week ago with the explanation – “Kate is still feeling kind of queasy, she wants to spend time with her parents and Will wants to look after her, and then they’ll see the Queen for Boxing Day and maybe Scotland later if Kate is feeling up to it” – I don’t think many of us would have had a huge problem with that. But because Will and Kate’s press office botched this (as they’ve been botching so much lately), it seems like Kate is just “playing sick” to get out of certain events and Will is joining her because he feels he can get away with it, and then they quickly change their lazy plans when there’s a backlash and suddenly Kate isn’t too sick to go to Scotland after all. Just my take.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

A few days before Christmas, St. James Palace announced the stunning news: Duchess Kate and Prince William would not be spending Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham. This is a BIG deal. If you are a member of the royal family (whether by birth or marriage), you always, always go to Sandringham for Christmas. It is a given. If you have commoner relations, you cannot spend Christmas with them. You are too busy doing ten costume changes at Sandringham with the Queen, who keeps the holidays going on a very strict time-table of events.

So how did Kate and William manage to break the royal pattern? Well, Kate is pregnant and super-barfy, and there were some concerns that A) she shouldn’t even leave London, lest she need emergency care and B) that a woman in her condition really shouldn’t have to adhere to the Queen’s schedule, lest Kate need to spend Christmas with her head in the toilet. The Queen seemed understanding of those concerns, even extending an invitation to Sandringham to Carole and Michael Middleton (but not Kate’s siblings, James and Pippa). But… at the end of the day, William and Kate chose a low-key Middleton Christmas. SHOCKING!

There’s even a photo of Kate and William attending church in Englefield, Berkshire, which is close to the Middleton home. You can see the photo here. That photo is controversial, by the way. Apparently, the palace issued a request to all of the royal correspondents that Will & Kate’s Christmas plans were “private” – but then Reuters and other agencies sent people to Berkshire anyway. Here’s an editorial note from The Mail:

Last week, the Palace sent a note to hand-picked Royal correspondents saying the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wished to spend Christmas privately with the Middleton family, and there would be no photo opportunities with the media.

Duly, the newspapers involved did not send photographers to Bucklebury, where the Royal couple are staying.

However, because some reputable news outlets – including Reuters – did not know of the request, they did send their staff to the village.

And, yesterday, they took pictures of Kate and William as they attended a church service with dozens of members of the public (all of whom could themselves have captured an image of what was a wonderful event).

Police had cleared a space for the Press to stand and even moved away some vehicles to give photographers clear sight of the church.

Yet, last night, the Palace insisted this very public event should remain private, and that none of the pictures be printed – a request we have reluctantly agreed to.

The Mail, of course, wishes the couple a happy and relaxing Christmas.

But we also hope the Palace understands the frustration it has caused by adopting such a baffling and illogical position.

[From The Mail]

I know it’s super-American of me, but this bitchy editorial note made me laugh. The UK tabloids are bending over backwards to do whatever Will and Kate demand, only the tabs get c—kblocked by more legit news outlets, outlets that the Palace would never publicly berate. Who’s running Will & Kate’s press office these days? Because they’re doing an awful job.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry celebrated Christmas at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. Well wishes to all of the servicemen and servicewomen serving abroad!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

You know what I dislike? I dislike when the Team Waity ladies get all defensive and start bad-mouthing The Daily Mail. The Mail has issues, for sure, for they’re always been dead-on about Duchess Kate, even back when she was Kate Middleton. I have long believed that Katie Nicholl (columnist for The Mail) is pretty much Kate’s de facto press officer, getting her information directly from Kate, Kate’s friends and the Middleton family. My point? Whatever the Mail says about Kate, I either A) wholeheartedly believe or B) wholeheartedly believe is Kate’s PR version which she wants the British public to buy hook, line and sinker. Which is why I took the Mail’s story a few weeks ago seriously – they ran an exhaustive story about Kate and William’s plans for the baby and how they’re only going to hire ONE part-time nanny and blah blah. And look, that information is slowly making its way into more legit media outlets! MAGIC. ROYAL MAGIC.

Royal Mary Poppins, reporting for duty? Not quite. When Kate Middleton and Prince William welcome their first child (or children, if it’s twins) next year, they will once again break with royal tradition. While British rulers have typically enlisted full-time teams to help with newborns, the Duke and Duchess, both 30, plan to handle the lion’s share of childrearing, sources tell Us Weekly.

Still, Kate plans on returning to her work as a volunteer for the Scouts and other charity organization — which means the royal couple will hire a part-time nanny. “They want to be as hands on as possible,” one insider says.

“Hands-on” also means that William and Kate will likely raise their child outside the palace walls. “They’re very outdoorsy,” one friend says. “I’m sure it will be the same with the kids — playing outside and going for walks.”

Before that very special childhood begins, however, the first-time mom-to-be needs to fully recuperate from a second bout of hyperemesis gravidarum (acute morning sickness) — and adjust to eating for two.

“Kate promised herself she would only eat healthy until the birth,” the source says, adding, “As soon as she can eat normally again, she’ll be avoiding processed foods.”

[From Us Weekly]

I don’t understand this new (royal) talking point that Kate was always gorging on processed foods before she got pregnant. Please. Those lips haven’t been on a hot dog or a corn chip in YEARS.

Speaking of food, William and Kate “hosted” a Christmas party lunch for their staff yesterday. Cough. 27 STAFFERS. Cough. Remember when Kate and Will’s 27 staffers were telling everybody that William and Kate barely had any staff and they did everything for themselves because they were so down-to-earth and just like you? Cough.

Lunch was on the Duke and Duchess! Prince William and Kate Middleton hosted 27 members of their staff on Tuesday Dec. 18 for a Christmas party and lunch at the Bumpkin restaurant in London’s Notting Hill neighborhood, a source confirms to Us Weekly.

Celebrating with members of the Household Cavalry, their press team, private secretaries and other staffers present, Kate and William, both 30, dined at a private room at the eatery — right beneath a portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II!

Clad in a floral blue and white dress with a dinner jacket, the pregnant Duchess “sipped soft drinks,” the source says, adding that her “health is improving” after dealing with acute morning sickness earlier this month.

And, as is usually the case with the spouses, the private bash wasn’t extravagant, with everyone eating from the price-fixe Christmas Turkey menu, which cost a humble 30 pounds, or approximately $48, a head.

It’s the second known outing in the past few days for the pregnant Duchess, who looked radiant and still quite slim in a green Alexander McQueen gown at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony Dec. 16 — telling former soccer player Gary Lineker that she’s feeling “very well.”

[From Us Weekly]

While I’m sincerely happy that Kate is feeling so much better (good enough to sip on some syrupy carbonated beverages, which probably count as “processed foods” right?), I do have a larger quibble. I know I’m going to get yelled at here, but I have to ask: was Morrissey right all along?!!? From what all of the medical professionals were saying about hyperemesis gravidarum, it’s devastating and you don’t just recover your strength, your appetite and your ability to not barf on people within a few weeks. Could it be that Kate just had plain old horrible commoner morning sickness and it’s mostly passed and her condition was overly-hyped to make her seem more sympathetic (and so she wouldn’t have to work)? No… they would never do that, right? Hahaha.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here are some new photos of Prince William at last night’s premiere of The Hobbit. I’m pretty sure he’s wearing the exact same tuxedo that he wore to the charity benefit on Saturday night. And in case you’re wondering, Duchess Kate was not in attendance. The palace announced that she was pulling out of the appearance a day before, because she was still battling her morning sickness. And in case you’re wondering how the pro-royal press is playing all of this, it’s “Poor Kate is so sick and brave, and William is so brave and lonely.” I actually do think William probably misses Kate at these kinds of events. He had gotten used to doing these things with Kate, and he probably is a little lonely.

Flying solo! Prince William arrived dateless to the U.K. premiere of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Dec. 12, as pregnant wife Kate Middleton recovered at Nottingham Cottage from a second bout of extreme morning sickness.

Inside the event — which was in aid of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund to support industry employees during times of hardship — the prince chatted briefly with Blanchett about the Oscar-winning actress’ native Australia. He also told Odeon theater manager Tessa Street that his wife was sad to be missing the film.

“I passed on my best wishes to Kate, and he said, ‘She would have loved to have been here if she could,’” Street told reporters, noting that the Duke was “very friendly.”

In fact, the prince’s wife was supposed to attend the royal premiere with him but had to bow out at the last minute due to her hyperemesis gravidarum.

“The Duchess of Cambridge will not attend The Hobbit premiere tomorrow evening and will continue to rest privately,” a St. James’s Palace rep told Us Weekly on Dec. 11, one day before the event. However, “the Duke of Cambridge will attend as planned.”

Middleton’s presence on the green carpet was certainly missed, but she was there in spirit. Just before the screening started, Sir Ian McKellen sent his best wishes to the Duchess, and everyone in the audience — including William — applauded.

Just one night before the Duchess’ second bout of morning sickness, the prince went solo to the Winter Whites Gala, where he commented on his absent wife’s condition. “I don’t know why they call it morning sickness — they should call it all day and all night sickness,” he joked. “[Recovery is] a long old process but she is getting there. She feels like it is going to go on forever.”

[From Us Weekly]

So… okay. I’m trying to desensitize all of you so that in the coming weeks, months and years, you won’t be surprised when Kate barely makes any public appearances. I’m not a total Morrissey, but I really believe that we won’t be seeing her until Christmas (like, a visit to the church), and maybe not even then. I wonder how long it will be before William’s press secretary informs the public that he and Kate decided that her health would improve in a more tropical climate. Christmas vacation for Kate’s morning sickness? Oh, you know it’s coming.

But the royal press machine is still forcing the “Will and Kate are super-normal and common” stuff with this week’s cover story for Us Weekly. Much of it is stuff we already covered, like Kate only wants one part-time nanny/babysitter. There are a couple of new pieces of royal propaganda, though. A friend tells Us Weekly that Kate and Will are “very outdoorsy” and thus, their child will be as well. They also say Kate will be “firm but fair” (Mmhm), and most importantly, Kate will now be getting more security. Like, there will be a dedicated security guard for her bump.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

Duchess Kate’s morning sickness is back! She’s not back in the hospital (yet), but she’s so sick that William is now canceling his schedule so that he can stay at their Kensington Palace home and look after her. We already knew that Kate’s schedule was going to be very limited for the next few months (cough – YEARS), but it looks like William is going to be canceling appointments right and left too. Meanwhile, the Mail has a bunch of new stories about Will and Kate and what they’re going to be like as parents and how Kate managed to get knocked up at just the right time, etc. Some highlights:

*The Mail says Kate and William have decided to “break with royal tradition” and NOT employ a “full-time nanny”. They are said to be eager to “hands-on parents” although they will probably employ a “babysitter” or part-time help. A source says, “Catherine and William are determined to be hands-on parents. Her parents are very excited about the baby and will help out as much as possible. They will, probably, use a part-time nanny to help them out when they have to attend events and don’t have a babysitter, but they don’t want a full-time nanny.” I imagine this is going to be the same kind of deal as how they don’t have “any staff” helping them, except for all of the staff they employ but not technically because Charles is paying for them.

*Kate and William prepared for her pregnancy for months. Kate’s “last hurrah” was in June, when she was drinking champagne and dancing up a storm at a friend’s wedding. After that, Kate allegedly gave up alcohol and junk food – Kate has never been a “big drinker” (?) but apparently she loves pizza and sweets, and they were hard to give up. And if you believe that…

*Kate stopped going to the gym and stopped playing tennis, and focused on taking leisurely walks with the dog. According to the Mail, “She gave up her habit of smoking the occasional cigarette and stopped drinking coffee at the Starbucks she frequented near Kensington Palace, conveniently close to an expensive maternity-wear shop.” O RLY?!?! She was still smoking when those boob photos were taken in late August, just FYI.

*Kate and William also wanted to have their puppy Lupo for more than a year before giving birth so the dog wouldn’t see a baby as a “rival for attention.” That makes sense. Lupo is still going to get jelly though.

*Kate and William may skip Christmas as Sandringham so they can spend the holidays with Kate’s parents. A source says, “It is being discussed but has not yet been decided. Carole is keen for Kate to spend Christmas with the family. It will be their last Christmas at the family home before the Middletons move house.” Because Carole and Michael Middleton have bought (with their son-in-law’s help) a gigantic mansion. Anyway, the source goes on to say, “At home Kate will be able to relax and put her feet up. Christmas at Sandringham can be very busy and stressful with everyone arriving. There is always lots going on, big dinners and lots of outfit changes to contend with.”

*NO MORE LAVISH VACATIONS!! For now. Kate and William will not make their annual trip to Mustique, not will they make a ski trip to France. Because of Kate’s pregnancy. SOB.

*William’s tour of duty will either come to an end in February or August, depending on a lot of factors. Most people think that by February, William will be out. I say that it looks like he’s ALREADY out of the RAF, mostly because even the Mail says that William hasn’t accumulated enough on-the-job hours this year, what with all of the “royal work” (and by that I mean vacations). But! The RAF insists that William must give them six months’ notice, so even if he’s telling them now that he doesn’t want to stay, he could be there well into the spring or summer. I bet he finds a way to get around that, don’t you?

*Kate really wants to be in London, which is what I’ve always said: ‘They love Wales but William said that he and Kate will not be in Anglesey next spring… They are planning to move into KP in the summer and it is absolutely going to be their full-time home. Kate loves it there, she has the park and the shops. She is really excited about it. Princess Margaret’s apartment is the best in the palace and they are making it look fabulous. Kate really sees it as their family home. She will be pushing the pram in the gardens just like Diana used to do.’

*Kate is an interior decorator now, because an aide told the Mail “she is a keen interior designer and wants to be in charge of all the major decisions in redecorating the 21-room apartment… Kate loves design and she will take a hands-on approach to how she wants it to look.”

So, my take on this is basically that William and Kate are really, really prepared for the baby, at least as far as PR goes. They’ve been thinking up excuses for two years now, making plans and everything has been put into place. We’re now supposed to think that Kate and William are so, so normal and that they work so hard and they don’t even want to employ anyone to help because they’re just like you. Do you believe that?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here are some photos of Prince William going solo to a charity benefit event in London last night. The event was the Winter Whites Gala, which benefited Centrepoint, a homeless-youth charity. William is one of Centrepoint’s biggest and most vocal patrons. The lady walking along side of William is named Danielle Alexandre, and she’s one of Centrepoint’s trustees. Doesn’t she look like she’s having a grand old time? I swear, she thinks she IS Duchess Kate.

Duchess Kate was originally scheduled to come to this event, of course, but Kate has canceled all of her upcoming appearances and events because she’s so barfy. When William was asked about Kate by the former chairman of Centrepoint, Michael O’Higgens said: “He said they shouldn’t call it morning sickness as it’s a day and all night sickness.” Har har. William jokes like his father. Very awkward. Kate also will miss a scheduled event today – she was supposed to make an appearance at the British Military Tournament at Earl’s Court. A royal aide told Us Weekly, “Catherine is sad not to be at the event. She was really looking forward to it.”

And no, I really don’t want to talk about that horrible thing with Kate’s nurse-receptionist Jacintha Saldanha. When Kate was in the hospital, two Aussie DJs prank-called the hospital, pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles, and this Jacinda woman was the one to put the call through, transferring it to Kate’s ward, where the DJs were briefed on Kate’s health. On Friday, Saldanha’s body was found. She had committed suicide, apparently. Do we really need to yell at each other or any of these people? The deejays were obviously in the wrong, and they did something awful, but I don’t believe they had deathly malice in their hearts, you know? It’s just awful that this woman blamed herself for such a terrible “prank”.

Anyway, William did not make any comments about Saldanha during the Winter Whites Gala, but the day before, St. James Palace issued a statement: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha. They were looked after so wonderfully well by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time.”

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

I get the feeling that these photos from Duchess Kate’s hospital exit yesterday will be the last photos we get of Kate for a few weeks. She’s going to be laying low at Kensington Palace for a while, and then maybe (probably) the Queen will demand Kate and William’s presence at Sandringham for Christmas, so we might get photos of Will and Kate on or around Christmas day going into some church services. So… there will be a dearth of new Kate photos, just prepare yourselves. Even when the new year comes, I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of her for a while. I don’t see Kate as the kind of girl (or the kind of royal woman) to be seen out in some clingy evening gown while she is with child. But you never know. Maybe Kate will miraculously feel better by February and she’ll be back to a full schedule. “Full schedule” = one event a week, maybe.

As I’ve said many, many times before, this pregnancy is the best thing to ever happen to Kate’s image in general, and specifically for all of the complainers (raises hand) who bitch about her lack of work and her lack of interest in anything beyond her hair and shopping. Because now all of those complainers will look like such big, mean trolls for yelling at poor, pukey Duchess Kate. As we should – I’m not going to yell at her now or for a while. Poor girl can barely stand up straight from the looks of things. Still, it’s funny to think that from here on out, Kate will never really have a “full schedule” in the traditional sense. First she’ll be pregnant, then she’ll want to focus on being a mom for several years, and then she’ll get pregnant again, and then, like, a decade from now people will be like, “Seriously, WTF does she do all day?”

What was the point of all that? Ah, yes. According to Life & Style, William is going to get Kate a really nice “push present”. He’s going to buy her a Scottish estate, a “holiday home that they can visit when they are not working.” Hahaha.

Kate Middleton’s getting an early push present from doting husband, Prince William: a new home! As their family expands, William plans for them to lay down new roots in Scotland — near the Queen’s Balmoral estate — to make room for baby.

“William has been looking into adding another house to their portfolio and he wants it to be a surprise to Kate,” an insider tells the new issue of Life & Style, on newsstands now. “He wants it to be a holiday home that they can visit when they are not working.”

And in typical Prince William style, the home won’t be an extravagant palace, the source details: “It will likely be something cottage style and cozy.”

Earlier today, Kate was released from King Edward VII Hospital after being treated for nearly four days with a case of Hyperemesis Gravidarum — a severe form of morning sickness.

“She left the hospital smiling and looking in good health,” an eyewitness tells Life & Style.

As Life & Style reports in this week’s issue, the royal couple are set to welcome their bundle of joy in July.

[From Life & Style]

It would make sense for William to buy a Scottish cottage or estate close to Balmoral so that they can have their own space while still visiting with the Queen (and Charles, when he becomes King and inherits Balmoral, which is still technically a private residence as opposed to a royal property). But Balmoral itself is HUGE and there are many “cottages” on its epic acreage. Surely the Queen would “give” William and Kate a cottage on her estate?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

Aw. Duchess Kate was finally released from the hospital earlier today in London. Prince William came to pick her up, and she was able to walk out of the hospital on her own (if this was an American hospital, she probably would have been forced to sit in a wheelchair until she was outside of the hospital). She and William stopped outside of the hospital and let everyone get their photos and they even answered a few questions from the press. She told them, “I’m feeling much better, thank you.”

I could analyze their body language all day! Of course, I also saw the video of Kate’s hospital exit, so I’m judging these pics because I’ve also seen them in motion. My impression is that Kate is okay, but that she still feels weak and rather barfy. I actually felt a wave of sympathy for her – she looks like she hasn’t had much sleep and like her equilibrium is off. She made a point to use the railing to steady herself as she walked down the stairs, and William briefly put his arm around her, probably to steady her and probably just a nice show of concern. It would have been nice to see William be more physical with her, but there’s probably a reason why he wasn’t, like, clutching her. One, everyone wants to see for themselves that Kate is alright and that she can walk by herself. Two, I would imagine that William didn’t want to jostle her, lest she barf on him (again?).

The Palace announced that Kate will be staying at Kensington Palace for now so that she can get some sustained rest. The official statement: “The Duchess of Cambridge has been discharged from the King Edward VII Hospital and will now head to Kensington Palace for a period of rest. Their Royal Highnesses would like to thank the staff at the hospital for the care and treatment The Duchess has received.”

Meanwhile, TMZ reports that Kate and William are already being “showered” with baby gifts, mostly from baby-centric companies that want Kate and Will to use their products. Some the gifts include (per TMZ): kiddy learning programs from MyTalkingToddler.com; morning sickness relief from a company called One Step Ahead; and clothes and products from 2 high end L.A. baby boutiques including Bel Bambini (they sent Kate a $2,300 gift basket which included a new Bugaboo Cameleon 3 stroller worth $978, a $265 Fendi layette set, $275 Dior Booties and more.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.