And so over the holidays, including some of the late gifts that came trickling in after the New Year, William and his Catherine received a gamut of everything that ranged from some very practically British gifts of a sleeping bag, cufflinks, a flying helmet, an address book, and a ballpoint pen, to the extraordinary…a papier-mâché doll, caribou antler snow goggles, and a jar of Vegemite…

It seemed like the Duchess was a very popular figure last year because most of the presents were addressed to her.  Some of the gifts included goodwill tokens gifted the couple during their extensive tour of their British Royal Empire overseas last year -  Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as former colony, the United States.

And these included a tartan waistcoat, a knitted prayer shawl, a brown ash basket, a framed Canadian stamp, a peacock feather fascinator, a tartan fascinator, wooden heart box with charm bracelet, two polar bear lapel badges, rag and porcelain dolls, a hand painted scarf, two mosquito traps, leather-bound invitation to Parks Canada, two chef’s jackets, wooden humidor, children’s drawings, bottle of icewine, three red hockey jerseys (duh), Aboriginal bronze, cowboy hats, a framed facsimile of the First Treaty of the First Nations of Canada…and a dog toy.

Wait…what? Aren’t Will and Kate petless?

But the list doesn’t end there. The royal couple also received: A teddy bear (aww), iPad (sweet!), newspaper clippings from the Chicago Daily Sun & Times, a framed film still, a selection of medals, an apron, carved and inscribed building fragments from Christchurch earthquake, a block of jade, cricket hacket, Akubra hat, commemorative coins, and Aboriginal craftwork.

And the nation that presented the least presents? Why the former British colony of the U.S., of course. Apparently, Americans are long on hospitality but short on gifts. Who would have known?

Wonder what William and Kate are planning to do with all the curious and extraordinary swag they received over the holidays…

Photo By PR Photos

Kate—or Catherine, as we should probably now call her—looked amazing in a black strapless Alexander McQueen gown, which she accessorized with a gorgeous diamond necklace adorned with pink gemstones.

As for hair and makeup, Catherine opted for perfectly styled curls, smokey eyes, rosy cheeks, and soft pink lips.

Honestly, the Duchess of Cambridge, who can often be a bit boring when it comes to fashion, has never looked so good! This is definitely one of her best looks… by far.

What do you think of Kate’s red carpet attire?

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And what sparked these rumors off? Why, peanut paste, of course…

Kate and her Prince William toured Copenhagen in Denmark this week where they visited a United Nations aid depot and helped load UNICEF packages handed out in areas suffering from famine. Their hosts, the Danish Crown Prince and his wife, offered William and Kate a taste of some peanut paste, which William dug into but Kate politely declined…

And how did the baby rumors arise from that?

Well point one: it’s considered royal protocol to taste everything your host country invites you to taste. Point two: isn’t Kate quite a stickler for protocol ever since she joined the royal family? Point three: Kate‘s spokesman dispelled any rumors Kate had a peanut allergy.

And most telling, point four: as William read the package of peanut paste that displayed the standard government warning urging pregnant women to stay away from peanuts and their bi-products to avoid allergies, his wife gave him a knowing look, politely declining a taste while the cameras clicked away.

Well, now. It seems the Queen is in for a surprise (if she doesn’t know already) of another great-grandchild.

We hope William and Kate make the announcement soon.

Images via WENN

In fact, Wintour even enlisted the help of Mario Testino, the celebrated photographer who did Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s engagement portraits, to soften the Duchess up to the possibility of posing for Vogue.

“I haven’t seen a bad picture of her,”

Testino gushed.

“I think he’s chosen well. Stylish, beautiful, charming, she fits the part perfectly. She is a very nice person as well.”

But, no dice. Kate Middleton, perhaps with the British royal protocol and the Queen’s displeasure in mind, has ever so politely declined.

“Both William and Kate feel it would be wrong for Kate to promote herself as a fashion or style icon,”

a palace aide revealed.

“That’s not what they are about and they take their royal duties far too seriously to, in one sense, trivialize them.”

So Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, beloved wife of William, and reluctant style icon, will continue to flout her good sense of style, and Vogue magazine be damned.

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According to the latest celebrity news, Anna is pulling to get Kate on the cover of the next American Vogue issue. She even reached out to renowned photographer Mario Testino—the same photographer who did Prince William and Kate’s official engagement photos—and is hoping to get him to relay the message to the new Duchess of Cambridge.

A source shares:

“Anna has been speaking to Mario about winning over Kate. She is really pressing him to shoot Kate for the cover.”

Kate has already refused to be on the cover of British Vogue, so it seems unlikely that she would agree to be on the American version. However, the offer from British Vogue came before her wedding, so maybe she refused because her schedule was too hectic due to the wedding preparations. Nonetheless, getting Kate to agree to be on the cover of a magazine may be a long shot. Another source confirms:

“Every magazine has been trying to get Kate, and many assume it will eventually be Vogue… But even with the Mario Testino relationship, it is not clear when this will happen. The Palace must approve it, and they are very protective of Kate.”

Why does Anna want to get Kate so bad? It probably has a lot to do with the fact that she’s very pretty and is always so impeccably dressed. The editor-in-chief shares:

“There’s nothing trashy or vulgar about her… She dresses her age and never looks out of place.”

Hmm. Do you think Kate would make a great Vogue cover girl?

image via WENN

Are they just pissed someone from another country, a country that used to rule good ol’ U.S.A. just a little over 200 years ago, by the way, has turned out another fashion icon-to-be who’s fast dogging the footsteps of her fashion icon mother-in-law?

Entertainment news listened in disbelief as style mavens who gathered for the NY Fashion Week say Kate is a far cry from Diana.

“She is stylish, but she’s not setting trends, she’s following trends,”

says one.

“If you take Kate out of the royal family, put her on a street in New York, you wouldn’t look at her twice. She’s a beautiful woman, but she blends into a crowd.”

Well, couldn’t the same be said of Diana before she married her cheating prince? Who could forget the long see-through skirt she wore in a Life magazine photograph nearly 30 years ago. And we all know Diana came into her own spectacularly. And how!

It’s still the early years…who can tell what kind of fashion force Kate Middleton will become…

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Uh, not really.

Sorry, guys. Prince William and Kate are definitely not pregnant. The couple’s rep immediately slammed the pregnancy rumors and told Us Weekly:

“Suffice to say that were it true, it would be us that announces it, not a gossip magazine.”

But don’t despair—Will and Kate do have plans to make little royals soon. Prince William recently shared:

“I think we’ll take it one step at a time… We’ll sort of get over the marriage thing first, then look at the kids. But obviously, we want a family.”

Are you sad about this news?

image via WENN / Fayes

Star news reports that Wills and his Duchess were at the Cineworld in Llandudno Junction in Wales to catch a movie.

“They looked like they were in a world of their own. He had his arm around her waist as they walked in, as if he was guiding her,”

says a tickled-pink onlooker.

“They looked just like any other young couple enjoying a night at the cinema.”

The couple came through the back door to dressed in jeans, bought some popcorn at a kiosk, and took in the 8pm screening of British comedy “The InBetweeners”.

This is getting to be a date night routine for the royal couple, who just last week, were spotted watching “Bridesmaids” during the same cinemas “bargain Tuesdays” screening.

Total cost of their cheapo date? Less than $16.

Wish we could have one of those kinds of romantic dates, too.

Image via WENN

And Prince William‘s  Duchess is coming under fire because of it…

“Kate is very slender but she certainly doesn’t have an eating disorder. She’ll be horrified that she is on these sites. Yes, she has lost weight but that’s largely down to the stress she has been under and all the travelling she has done recently.”

Explained family members and friends who know the real score.

Actually, we’re surprised people with eating disorders have chosen Kate Middleton to look up to. Why did they pass over Victoria Beckham who’s even tinier, and who’s now on a self-admitted starvation regimen to lose weight in time for the New York Fashion Week?

Tsk. Victoria will be so disappointed to lose out on the publicity.

Image via WENN

Now the latest Hollywood gossip knows Kate is athletically slender, but not that emaciated!

So much buzz was generated from the Photoshopping issue, Britain’s Press Complaints Commission launched its own investigation and discovered the fact to be true – some overzealous Grazia employee in the art department channeled their own Barbie fetish unto the Duchess of Windsor’s already sylph-like waistline.

“We did not purposely make any alterations to the Duchess of Cambridge’s image to make her appear slimmer, and we are sorry if this process gave that impression,”

a rep for the magazine said in a statement.

It turns out the publication couldn’t find a solo picture of Kate in her wedding dress without William hanging on to her arm (if we were the Prince, we would, too!), so they digitally removed Wills and altered Kate‘s other arm to make it look like she was holding a bouquet instead. The result was an overly-whittled waistline that had Kate fans and followers up in arms.

Well, we know what the real Kate Middleton looks like, so Photoshop be damned.

Despite the fact that the Royal bride reportedly has medical problems that could prevent her from conceiving, celebrity news has gotten wind that she may finally have a bun in the oven!

Kate and her hubby, Prince William, have been trying to produce an heir to the throne ever since they tied the knot in April, and it seems that they’ve finally succeeded! According to some guests at Zara Phillips’ wedding, Kate was kind of acting like she was pregnant. A source reveals:

“Catherine refrained from drinking any alcohol at the reception or at the pre-wedding cocktail party… She’s being very careful not to do anything to jeopardize getting pregnant — or unknowingly harm the fetus in the event that she already is.”

Recent reports claim that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be spending the rest of their summer at Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s estate house in Scotland. A second honeymoon, maybe? Another source shares:

“They both love the peace and seclusion there, and it’s the perfect relaxing setting to help them conceive their first baby if it’s not already on the way.”

Do you think Kate really is pregnant?

image via WENN

In fact, she can’t touch you with a ten foot pole, not by a long stretch, no way.

Vivienne Westwood went on to tell celebrity news that she doesn’t like Kate‘s make-up choices, either…

“I think she’s got a problem with eye make-up! The sharp line around her eyes make her look hard. Either she should be smudgy or wear none.”

Do you think Kate Middleton looks hard? Or have we misheard, and its Ms. Westwood‘s voice that’s gotten a wee bit steely in the face of all that dewy youth, never mind that Kate‘s royalty to boot?

We think the Duchess of Windsor is an extraordinary fairytale princess and no person forty years her senior who’s partial to tulle, satin and cabbage roses can change our mind. What do you think?

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Kelly recently appeared on ‘The Tonight Show’ and told Jay Leno:

“If I had that job I would only wear it once. If I am going to be the future bloody Queen of England I’m going to wear that dress once because I’m giving up the rest of my life, all of my privacy. At least I can get a new dress every day!”

Just last week the Duchess was caught recycling a dress again at Zara Phillips’ pre-wedding party—she was wearing the same green Diane von Furstenberg dress that she wore last month at a party in California.

Kelly also shared that she would even wear new underwear everyday, if she were in Kate’s place. She says:

“Well, if I could, I would… That’s a really good idea, actually.”

Celebrity gossip websites have been buzzing about the fact that Kate has been recycling her dresses and wearing them over and over again to various major events, and while a lot of people admire her practicality and thriftiness, others consider it a faux pas.

What do you think? If you were Kate, would you recycle your dresses?

images via WENN

Kim wants her wedding to Kris Humphries to be every bit as extravagant as the royal wedding, which is why she wants to have the exact same cake! A source reveals:

“Kim wants it to resemble Prince William and Duchess Kate‘s!”

Kim and Kris went for a cake tasting on July 29 at Hansen’s Cakes, and the one they chose was a monstrous 10-tiered cake with chocolate chip icing and classic black and white decorations. And get this—it costs about $15,000 to $20,000!

Prince William and Duchess Kate’s wedding cake was a traditional multi-layered cake designed by British baker Fiona Cairns. The 8-tiered cake was covered in cream, white icing, and 900 sugar paste flowers. Fiona tells Us Weekly:

“Catherine wanted a traditional wedding cake with a modern twist.”

Hmmm… It looks like Kris and Kim’s cake may just kick the royal wedding cake’s butt.

Are you excited to see Kim and Kris’ royally inspired wedding cake?

images via WENN

Not only does Kate possess that long willowy figure honed by years of athleticism, she knows what to drape herself in.

And she recycles outfits! Don’t you just love that in a girl?

In the face of global economic downturn, who wouldn’t admire a royal who’d mix and match haute couture with off-the-rack labels? And like Michelle Obama, she touches just the right spot.

Sure, the Duchess of Cambridge has come a long way from that sheer bikini harem number she wore to a charity show at St. Andrews where she captured her prince’s heart, apart from other areas of his anatomy. But she’s evolved through the years, not merely as a clothes horse, but as a down-to-earth celebrity who isn’t ashamed of her coal miner ancestry, and who dresses down to do the groceries or take budget airline flights with the rest of humanity…

Image via WENN

Despite the class and privilege these future monarchs are entitled to, they chose to sit with other passengers on a flight aboard Flybe airlines which doesn’t have a first-class section.

Makes them out to be more one of us and infinitely more likeable than other people celebrity news knows would live in excess in the face of the recession, or who’d order their bodyguards to mow bothersome humans off their path, don’t they?

Wills and Kate are worth watching, and we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled on news from these worthwhile two.

Image via WENN

“It was a dream come true for her,” Diamond’s father, Lyall Marshall, tells Us Weekly. “She had always wanted to meet a real princess. They got along very well. At first Di ran over and hugged Kate‘s legs and then ran back to us after handing over the flowers, but then Kate kneeled down and made her feel welcome. They talked for a few minutes. [Kate] told us the flowers were beautiful. The Duchess was very kind to her, very sweet and genuine. “

According to current news report, Little Diamond who lost her mother to cancer four years ago, was diagnosed earlier this year. Diamond watched William and Kate‘s royal wedding from her hospital bed at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Inspired, she hand-wrote a note to the Dutchess, which read:

“Dear Princess Kate,

My name is Diamond Ann. I am six. I was named after Princess Diana. My Mommy Memory is in heaven with her. I have cancer. I spend a lot of time in hospital. I watched you get married from my bed there. You looked pretty.

I like playing Princess dress up. My favourite princess is Aurora. Who is yours. I would really like to meet you. Do you wait [sic] to me too?

Lots of love,

Diamond xx”

Thanks to the efforts of the Alberta Chapter of The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, Diamond’s letter made it into the hands of the British royals.

“We never in a million years thought the Duke and Duchess would hear our request,” her father says.

After that once-in-a-lifetime meeting at the airport, Diamond arrived home in a jubilant mood. “She was walking around the house so happy, so excited. She just had her wand, smiling and laughing.”

Diamond, whose mother, Memory, died of cancer four years ago, is currently in and out of chemo sessions but “responding well to treatment and her tumor is shrinking,” with surgery planned for mid-August. Doctors first discovered tumors in Diamond’s abdomen and lungs earlier this year.

Little thoughtful Diamond didn’t just give Kate a bouquet, she gave her a heart-shaped box, with a friendship bracelet made by Diamond inside.

“We were so happy she got to meet a princess,” her father, Marshall says. “That was her dream and we are so thankful for the Children’s Wish Foundation and the amazing work they do. It’s been such a boost to her health and happiness.”

Since 1984, the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada has granted life-changing wishes; granting nearly 3 per day to 17,000 kids aged 3-17 diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.

Stay strong little Diamond, we’ll keep you in our prayers!

Those who are old enough to remember can cast their mind back to the time when hosiery was de rigueur in the golden age of the 80′s, which was enthusiastically replaced with bare legs in the 90′s. And Kate Middleton has brought them back into fashion with her penchant for turning anything she wears into the hottest trends around.

Kate has long beautiful and athletic legs, and she carried them awesomely well despite her gams being encased in nude pantyhose and practically covered by royal protocol-mandated mid-length skirts. Still those stems shone through…

Would you do a Kate Middleton and don hosiery at the height of summer, as well?

Image via WENN

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton graced the Foundation Polo Challenge at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in California this weekend, . The prince admitted:

“Catherine and I have had a busy few days so the prospect of being able to let loose this afternoon is wonderful for me.”

When asked if he would ever come back to Santa Barbara in the future, William—who was a participant in the polo match—joked:

“That depends on the result out there today -– I’m not a good loser.”

It’s no wonder he beat Kate (or did he?) in the dragon boat race they participated in back when they were touring Canada.

images via WENN

Even other celebrities who attended the event observed that the red floor seemed even more royally red than usual.

“This red feels extra rich,”

“Avatar” star Zoe Saldana gushed in awe.

Celebrity news notes William, who was dressed in a simple black tuxedo, and Kate, in a flowing white gown, were the only celebrities who talked to no one, and marched the carpet at a brisk walk, merely nodding and smiling at fans, audience and photographers, and generally making everyone present feel like swooning.

So this is what rubbing elbows with royalty feels like.

Despite their very quick entrance, William and Kate exuded the impression that they were really pleased to meet their former subjects from the now independent former colony of the United States of America.

And that, ladies and gents, takes thousands of years of royal breeding and upbringing to make one feel the need to curtsey deeply in the presence of the future king of England and his bride.

Images via WENN