Prince William & Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge News #1

[Ashcottmanor]

Credit crunch William and Kate considering a budget honeymoon in the Scilly Isles (where Charles took Diana)
By KATIE NICHOLL and DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 5:12 PM on 30th January 2011

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Prince William and Kate Middleton are planning a budget honeymoon in the Scilly Isles.

The Royal couple are also considering telling friends not to get them lavish gifts when they tie the knot - but instead make donations to charity.

The couple have reportedly drawn up a shortlist of British honeymoon destinations - because Palace officials don't want them going on an expensive foreign break while Britons see their living standards squeezed.


Arm in arms: Kate Middleton has much to organise ahead of her Spring wedding, including selection of her coat of arms

Prince William last went on holiday to the Scilly Isles - off the coast from Penzance - on a family holiday with his mother Diana, brother Harry and Prince Charles in 1989 when he was just seven.

Charles and Diana spent time at Lord Mountbatten's Hampshire estate and at Balmoral on their honeymoon in 1981.

An aide told the People: 'William and Kate are acutely aware that in these difficult times being seen to take a luxury honeymoon would not look good and send out entirely the wrong signal.

'Neither has lavish tastes and a domestic location is ideal to ensure they are secure.'

It had been thought that William and Kate would fly to Kenya where the Prince proposed or go to the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, bride-to-be Kate is so busy with wedding plans she has yet to apply for her own coat of arms, the College of Arms confirmed yesterday.


Honeymoon destination? William and Kate may be going to the Scilly Isles where the Prince first holidayed when he was aged eight with Charles, Diana and his brother Harry in June 1989


Staycation: Prince William is considering taking Kate Middleton to the Scilly Isles for their honeymoon after their April 29 wedding

Although not a legality, an insignia is a prerequisite for those marrying into the Royal Family.

Unlike the late Princess of Wales, whose paternal Spencer family Coat of Arms was used when she married Prince Charles, Kate’s middle-class background means she does not have one.

In order to be granted one, her father Michael will have to lodge a petition – or a ‘memorial’ as it is correctly known – with the College, which would then approve the application before a bespoke insignia can be designed.

Arms and crests are granted by letters patent. Applicants must get a warrant from the Earl Marshal agreeing to the granting of the arms.


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Yesterday Clive Cheesman, officer of arms at the College of Arms, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We have not received any application thus far. For normal applicants the process can take up to eight months from first consultation to the completed process. However in this instance it could be arranged in two weeks.’

Last night, Palace sources said the Middleton family would be applying for a Coat of Arms, but this could be postponed until after the wedding on April 29.

Once awarded, the crest could also be used by Kate’s father, her mother Carole, her sister Pippa and her brother James.


Memory: Arms of Prince William, the Coat of Arms designed to mark Prince William's coming of age in 2000, incorporates a tribute to his mother

‘Catherine has rather a lot to think about,’ a senior courtier said. ‘I expect she will have a coat of arms; it would be surprising for her not to. I suspect she has not got around to having it done yet. She might not get around to it until after the wedding.’

A source at the College of Arms added: ‘Miss Middleton is likely to use her Coat of Arms more than any other grantee because she is marrying into royalty and they tend to use theirs more than others.

‘However, it’s likely that her arms will be in keeping with the heraldic tradition. Choosing a motto is completely optional.’


Precedent: Kate will follow in the footsteps of Sophie Wessex, who had her Arms granted after her marriage to Prince Edward

Prince William was granted a coat of arms shortly after his 18th birthday. His insignia uses the Queen and Prince Charles’s arms and contains small red shells around the necks of the lion and the unicorn, a tribute to his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

The shell, which derives from the Spencer arms, was included at Prince William’s insistence. The motif has been borne by the Earl of Spencer since the 16th Century and was a popular symbol for medieval pilgrims. In all, the shell appears four times on William’s arms, the design of which was approved by Prince Charles and the Queen.

By not having her coat of arms granted until after her wedding, Kate will follow in the footsteps of Sophie Wessex. When she married Prince Edward, Sophie, who became the Countess of Wessex, had her 200-year-old family Rhys-Jones insignia redesigned.

The Duchess of York created her own coat of arms with the rather apt motto, ‘from adversity grows happiness’.

It is still not known which title Kate will take once she is married to Prince William. The likely options for William are Duke of Clarence, Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Connaught or Duke of Sussex, all of which would make Kate a duchess.

But she and William are said to be reluctant. A source said: ‘William wants to stay Prince William and Kate likes the idea of being Princess Catherine. They think being duke and duchess ages them by 30 years. They may in the end choose not to have a title.’

Technically, if that is the case, Kate would be known as HRH Princess William of Wales or Princess Catherine of Wales.

A spokesman for the Prince said: ‘We are not giving any guidance on titles. It will be announced on the day.’
dailymail

 

[Ashcottmanor]

Kate chooses American designer for beachwear
Kate Middleton has whittled her list of designers down to five as she tries to decide who will design her wedding dress – but at least she knows who to ask to make her bikinis should she and William head off on a tropical honeymoon.
Kate, 29, is a fan of American designer Melissa Odabash, who is providing the bride-to-be with some beach attire.
‘I’m gifting her a selection of swimsuits,’ said Melissa at Shoreditch House.

Kate Middleton is a fan of American designer Melissa Odabash, who is providing the bride-to-be with some beach attire
‘She already wears my stuff and has impeccable taste. She’s classic, modest but terribly chic.’
The designer also revealed: ‘I’ve designed some leopard-print swimwear for the World Wildlife Fund that is coming out soon.’
With Kate’s love of a safari, it sounds like the perfect two-piece.
DailyMail

 

[Ashcottmanor]

Kate Middleton's parents to cash in on her wedding to Prince William

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by Victoria Murphy, Daily Mirror 1/02/2011
KATE Middleton’s family will profit from her wedding to Prince William by selling “traditional street party” products to Royalty lovers.
A visitor to the Facebook page of family firm Party Pieces asked: “Hi! We attend a British school in Sweden and will have a Royal Wedding day in April!
“Will you be selling traditional British themed products we can order in the coming months?” Party Pieces replied: “We certainly will be doing some traditional street party bits. These will be available mid-late February!”
Party Pieces, set up in 1987 by Carole and Michael Middleton, made them millionaires and funded Kate, 29, and her siblings Pippa, 27, and James, 23, through £30,000-a-year Marlborough College.

The range may worry the Royal family, which is keen for the wedding not to be seen as a business opportunity for the Middletons. The family has previously been accused of cashing in on their links to the royal family.
Shortly after the engagement was announced, they published an article on their website that claimed: “Every little girl dreams of being a princess” and last March an interview on the website featured Kate giving tips on throwing a children’s party.
3 PRINCE William will follow royal tradition and wear military uniform for his wedding, it was revealed yesterday.
He is likely to choose his RAF attire, and it is thought Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes, has been chosen to make the outfit.

The Mirror
​

 

[blueorchid]

The range may worry the Royal family, which is keen for the wedding not to be seen as a business opportunity for the Middletons. The family has previously been accused of cashing in on their links to the royal family.

Well, the Royal Family has been "cashing in" on being the Royal Family for hundreds of years now, I don't see the harm in some newcomers doing it as well. Might as well join in on the party.

 

[Ashcottmanor]

Well, the Royal Family has been "cashing in" on being the Royal Family for hundreds of years now, I don't see the harm in some newcomers doing it as well. Might as well join in on the party.

That's true...but it's a tad bit different when your daughter is marrying the heir to the throne.

 

[sethii]

Agree with you blueorchid. From a PR perspective though they should not be promoting their royal celebration products right now - but they aren't known for discretion are they.

 

[Ashcottmanor]

So I've been wondering about this for a while and thought I would throw it out for discussion...do you think William will give Kate a pre-nup or some other document to sign in case they do divorce? I've always wondered how the Queen would protect her assets and those of her children and grandchildren, after the whole Charles and Diana divorce. I'm actually surprised Diana got away with anything, let alone 25m? I wonder if the Queen has something coming to Kate as well??

 

[sethii]

I don't believe pre-nups exist in the UK.

 

[Ashcottmanor]

I don't believe pre-nups exist in the UK.

I know, but is there some other document you can use? How do you protect your money or assets if a marriage breaks up? Especially royals, since they have a lot to lose.

 

[sethii]

I really don't know how the law stands there. She might have to argue that her whole life was dedicated to supporting William in his role as Prince and King (eventually). Doubt it would ever come to divorce, I think Kate...Catherine...would put up with anything - she already has. Didn't he take once take a break from her to pursue an American girl who later rejected him?

 

[fashionista-ta]

I imagine the Queen would consider a pre-nup declasse. I would hope she also regrets not setting up a trust for Fergie, who certainly has interesting ways of supporting herself ...

 

[cheepmunk]

And even if Kate Middleton were to run off with some money, it's not like the royal family would ever be poor. Plus, those laws exist for a reason, and it's kind of crappy to screw someone out of what they're legally entitled to just because the person they're divorcing is a member of the royal family.

But it's a moot point, probably. I'll bet anything that there's some sort of protection in place to prevent someone from walking off with a large chunk of money and a couple of manors (maybe something like: the money doesn't really belong to the royal family, it belongs to the people/government), especially if we're talking about William who is in direct line to the throne.

 

[Ashcottmanor]

^Ah thank you, that makes more sense. I'm sure the Queen would have any future prospects of her grandchildren sign something to protect her assets.

Did Diana get her settlement from the Queen of Prince Charles?

 

[cheepmunk]

Not sure. According to Google, Charles isn't allowed to sell off any of the assets related to his Duchy; he can only live on the income generated by the property. Also according to Google, the general consensus was that, because he was on a fixed income from his properties, Charles didn't have enough money to pay out the settlement, so he either took out a loan or borrowed from Mommy. But then I just found an article from his former financial advisor saying that Diana absolutely cleaned him out. Supposedly, he liquidated all his investments to pay her off. Who know what the truth is?

 

[fashionista-ta]

I doubt seriously the Queen is collecting signatures from anyone. Per Fergie, her discussion about settlements or the lack thereof was directly with the Queen. If I were the Queen, I'd probably have made Charles pay

As has been said, a lot of their assets cannot be liquidated. They can't go hock the crown jewels or sell off Balmoral ...

 

[Ashcottmanor]

^Thanks both of you! I guess that puts any future wives/husbands in a sticky position. If you stay in the marriage whether it be bad or good you will always have more than enough, but if you decided to leave you leave with basically nothing. And since more than half of all marriages end in divorce now a days it sure makes you think....

 

[sethii]

The press would make her life hell if she divorced and got a big settlement. Fergie x 1000.

 

[cheepmunk]

Fergie is one of my favorites, mostly because she was so much more interesting and honest than the rest of them, and it always cracked me up to think of her in the same room with the Queen. Especially post-Jenny Craig, or Weight Watchers, or whatever it was.

That's one reason I think marrying into the royal family isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's not that they're freaks -- I'd say they're about average in terms of the ratio of crazy to normal, maybe tilting a little toward the crazy side -- but once you marry into them, that's it. If it doesn't work out for whatever reason (and a lot of marriages don't) you're villified for trying to leave or get what you are (or should be) legally entitled to. Unless you're Diana.

To bring it vaguely back around to the topic, that's why I think Kate Middleton is perfect for William.Whatever people think of her or her motivation, she's willing to live in a fishbowl and put up with all the crap that comes with his position. She's also not the sort to rock the boat. She'll probably stick with him through just about anything. That's exactly what he needs, not some free-thinking trendsetter.

 

[fashionista-ta]

The way Fergie tells it, when the Queen asked what she wanted, she said, Your friendship. Which is all very noble, but ... So according to her, she walked away with nothing. I know she, Andrew, and the girls share a house--perhaps the firm pays for that? I would much rather she had taken some money, used it well, and conducted herself with quite a bit more dignity since ...

 

[Ashcottmanor]

Fergie is one of my favorites, mostly because she was so much more interesting and honest than the rest of them, and it always cracked me up to think of her in the same room with the Queen.

Sources say that Fergie was the Queen's favorite and that got on really well...that was one of the reasons why Diana didn't like her. Fergie got the attention that Diana was never able to attain from the Queen. So maybe the Queen does have a fun side after all! I admired Fergie too until this money scandal came out. That was just too much for my taste.

I agree with you that Kate won't rock the boat and will stay right behind William. My concern is just that, she won't ever be her own person or do anything significant if she's always following Wills around. Oh well I guess we'll see. Seems like all these Monarchies these days are going to pot anyways...I still have faith in Luxembourg though!