The Middleton's and Kate Attend a Wedding

The Middleton's and Kate attended a wedding on Saturday.

Here are some pictures. Read the article by following this link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210457/Kate-joins-family-society-wedding-father-walks-bride-aisle-friends-marriage.html

I love the simplicity and elegance of British weddings!

Pippa: Back into the Swing of Things

Pippa appeared at a club opening in London. She wore a black dress with some beading on it that shimmered. She paired it with a black jacket too and black suede boots - which we've seen her in before this September. Also, she was wearing tights, unlike the when we last saw her in the Daily Mail. I'm glad that I'm not alone on that front. It may look a little out of place compared to the bare legs around her, but I think that it's not only practical, but it shows some character - in that Pippa obviously likes to be warm but she's also willing to keep a tradition going and it shows that she has a certain kind of class (at least I think that tights are classy). There's a kind of decorum there I think. Who knows - but I like it!

I love the dress, but I'm not such a fan of the boots and the jacket. Pippa definitely has an edge to her style, which I have to admit that I don't care for. But usually one of the individual pieces she wears works for me.

Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2209935/Party-princess-Pippa-Middleton-shimmers-little-black-dress-guest-honour-London-club-launch.html

Hello Magazine: How to be a Natural Beauty Like Kate

Here is an article from Hello magazine, on how to be a natural beauty like Kate; it's also centered around makeup, so it can help in determining what to do to look like Kate - although it is from 2009...

Still, good tips to live by, and Kate obviously still sticks to these guidelines.

"Kate Middleton remains a suitably regal companion toPrince William, maintaining a dignified distance from the media glare while also always ensuring she looks impeccable when the camera does catch her – natural and beautifully groomed without ever going over the top. 

Here’s how to capture that naturally groomed look with the minimum of effort…

1. Foundation’s a must to make skin seem naturally flawless, but it must blend in seamlessly to look like your own skin. Test it against your jawline rather than the back of your hand to find the right shade. Particularly runny liquids may give you a ‘glow’, but you’ll need a thicker formulation to even out patchiness and discolouration – pigmentation problems or redness in particular.

2. Unless your skin is oily, applying powder on top will make you look too ‘finished’. Instead, carry around a compact or powdered papers - available from The Body Shop and Shiseido - to mop up shininess that builds up during the day and apply only where affected. 

3. Cream blush is great for a flush of colour that makes you look more healthy than obviously sculpted. Blend lightly over the apples of the cheeks only. 

4. If you do nothing else, fill in brows which defines and lifts the entire face and instantly makes you look more groomed. 

5. Eyeshadow’s unnecessary for a natural look. And you can skip mascara, too, if, instead, you ring round the lashes with a smudged line of brown or grey eyeliner - black’s too dramatic and sultry - which really makes eyes stand out and look bigger. 

6. Match your lipstick to your lip colour so it looks natural, but enhanced. And rather than sexy gloss, add a touch of balm on top for a natural finish."

Article: http://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/makeup/200910202249/kate-middleton/natural/beauty/

"Chelsea Blow-Out": Continued...

Here is an article that I came across in the Daily Mail. It has to do with beating frizz and it mentions Kate :)

Naturally I am posting about it!

Here is the link to the article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/beauty/article-2204329/As-Kate-Middleton-proves-royals-bad-hair-days-test-latest-treatments.html


P.S. Check out Kate's eye makeup too! Some shadow on the lid and definitely a thick liquid line on her lid/upper lashes!

Le Pilage Tote

Back in July, during the Olympics, I noticed that Kate had the same Le Pilage tote as I did - from Longchamp! I know that thousands of other people also have this bag - but I thought it was really neat, since I had just received it as a birthday gift a few days earlier, and I had never see Kate carry this bag since her university days!

Then, a few days ago while at an Australian airport, Kate was spotted carrying the bag again - but I believe that this is a smaller version of the one she was carrying in July. I think that she must have both the large and the medium in black. Interesting.

Wardrobe Malfunction

You think that Kate would have remembered that primrose dress from her Canadian tour last summer, which also caused her some trouble at an airport, but alas, the Duchess donned the lighter weight dress by London D Project - and although she looked very pretty in it, Mother Nature was not cooperating.

Some said that the dress was matronly, but I think that it looks great on her, it makes her look especially slim and very pretty. Too bad about the wind though...

Read that article and some other by clicking here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2205368/Kate-Middleton-Closer-photos-Duchess-heads-home-scandal-dress-caught-wind.html

Summary: Kate's Outfits on Tour

Here are some pictures of the outfits that Kate wore while on her Asian tour.

Getting Kate's "Chelsea Blow-Out": For Dummies

I say "For Dummies" because I am one.

When it comes to handling a hair brush and a hair dryer together, I am all thumbs. I just can't manage to give myself that professional (or even semi-professional) looking blow dry.

Everyday though I see women who obvioulsy manage it at home, without a stylist, and it makes me slightly depressed :)

However, although handling a blow dryer and other hair related tools is important, I don't believe that it's the only way to achieve Kate's "Chelsea Blow-Dry". In fact, I challenge the time and what I see as the complexity of getting this look.

I don't want to wake up an hour earlier to spend 30 minutes in front of the bathroom mirror, with a bunch of curlers, bobby pins, hair dryer and various kinds of brushes.

The first key to getting Kate's beautiful hair, as I've mentioned in other posts, is first and foremost her basic and foundational style. Your hair needs to be at least past shoulder length, and then ask the hairdresser for longer layers and be sure to keep the bangs around chin-length, no shorter. Otherwise, it will be hard to style the front of the hair without the bangs looking too short when styled.

Next, make sure that your longer hair is well looked after. I made this mistake recently (again - what a dummy). I started to notice that my long hair was looking shapeless - even on the days I washed it. It hung limp and lifeless and flat around my face and it just didn't look, or feel, good.

I don't know what snapped me out of this brain fog, but I suddenly realized - my hair must be really dry, no wonder it has no shape and it looks so flat!

Thankfully Shopper's Drug Mart had a sale on, so I managed to get:

1) a volumizing and conditioning mousse. It also claims to add shine - and it definitely did! It may have also claimed to protect hair from heat styling... but maybe that's just wishful thinking :)

2) a better hair spray - my other one was too heavy and weighed my hair down too much. It also made my hair crunchy when I touched it. Gross. That can't look natural.

3) I bought a hair mask - to be applied at least once a week. This helps to restore moisture to the hair, which will make it healthy and it will look bouncy and shiny and be easier to style and in general manage.

4) I made sure to purchase some volumizing shampoo and conditioner. I think that you need to use these kinds of shampoos and conditioners - even if you have thicker hair - to make sure that you really do have volume in your hair. Sometimes thicker hair can get weighed down.

5) I also have argan oil, which I started to use when I had my epiphany. I'm not a huge fan of the brand that I have, but it will do for the occassional use.

So, find products that will help you achieve healthy, volumous hair. And to maintain it as well (hairspray)

What I do when I come to dry and style my hair is simple. I really just dry my hair until it's dry. I use my fingers only - lifting hair at the roots and shooting the heat at the root.

When the hair is dry I fix fly-aways with the straightening iron. I don't tend to take the iron to the end of the strands of hair - because I don't want to flatten it. I just want to flatten problem areas - usually baby hairs around my face.

Next, heat up your curling iron. What I do next is as complex and technical as I get with hair tools.

Curl the ends of your hair - either back from or towards your face. I have been doing it back from my face - as I think that's what it looks like Kate does.

I don't care for her tighter curls, so I opt for looser waves. I find tighter curls have the potential to look over-done and juvinile. I like Kate's hair much better when her hair is styled more loosely.

And then you should be done - after a spritz of hair spray for every curl. I also like to flip my hair over my head (upside down) and spritz too. It sounds like a lot of hair spray, but it's really not.

I think that I am going to look into a conair spin brush. I read some reviews and it sounds like it could help refine the process of getting Kate's "Chelsea Blow-Out".

More later!

Eye Makeup Obsessed

Since fall 2010 I have been obsessed with the Duchess of Cambridge (then Kate Middleton) and recently with her sister Pippa as well.

I admire Kate's classic style, her hair and her makeup. The latter two I have been trying to emulate, probably, since 2010 :) And I'm still trying!

Back in 2010 Kate's look was pretty simple to figure out. She wore that much talked-about black (what looked like) liquid eyeliner all the way around her eye.

However, since she's been married (I can't exactly pin-point when the change came about), Kate's eyemakeup look has evolved. Like any woman this is probably quite natural and iminent. New products come out and we try them, but more importantly we start to learn different techniques or try variations of our original look.

Like the picture below: the liner is not that typical thin black line we see above (like in the engagement photo above), but rather it's a thicker more smudged line - maybe pencil? - around the eye. There is also some shadow coming into play as well, as is there in the picture above.

I think that this is what happened to Kate.

Suddenly that hard line drawn all around her eye started to dissapear. It was replaced with a softer line under her eye and a bolder liner on her upper lash-line. Overall the look was less definable. Now it was a matter of... well, is she using a liquid liner still or is she using a pencil? Also, her use of eyeshadow threw another wrench into the mix, because the colours change from time to time and most recently, on her Asian Tour, some days she wore it and some days she didn't - and that also had variations itself, somedays she had it on her lid or only in her crease.

Anyways, there have been some excellent close up shots from that tour which have shed some light on how Kate might do her makeup.

All variations aside, here is what I think that I have discovered - or maybe this is an update on my constant revision on what I think that I have discovered :)

1) Kate must definitely use a pencil liner - below her eyes and on her upper lash line. However, it is hard to know if she also uses a liquid liner on her upper lash line as well - either within the rim (creating an even thicker lash line, when used in addition to lining the upper lid) or very close to the lash-line, over or under (probably under) her pencil liner.

By penciling colour in withing the rim (under the upper lash-line), you can create the look of ever thicker and more full lashes. A wonderful makeup artist shared that secret with me back in the spring (maybe everyone knows that already though, and I'm just waaay behind).

2) Kate obviously uses shadows now, on her lid and in her crease - in combination or one or the other alone. We saw the latter on this recent tour I believe.

The colours ellude me though. I myself have a MAC colour (the name escapes me at the moment) that I thought was very close to the one that she uses. However, when I actually apply it the colour is not as dark. I think that I should probably just ask a pro - but I always feel awkward referencing Kate.

Then there is the brown/taupe colour that usually is in her crease. It's obviously in the brown family. There are occassions I think where she also had that on her lid, lightly. So there was no purply/grey colour to be seen, just the brown shadow.

3) The last observation is obviously the mascara. We know she's wearing it and this is the easiest thing to emmulate. Start by evenly coating the top lashes of one eye and then move to the other - letting the first eye's coat dry a bit. Then move back to the first eye, after evenly coating the second eye, and apply more mascara. Be sure to avoid clumpy lashes. That never looks good. Then use the tip of the mascara wand to get some colour under the top lashes. This helps to create thicker looking lashes. I usually apply generous coats of mascara now, but it never looks spidery or over-done (I hope). I use Cover Girl's "Lash Blast". I love it. I have not found another mascara like it. And there is too much speculation over what Kate uses for me to even attempt to use the one she does.

Obvioulsy you would want to apply the shadow first, then the eyeliners and then the mascara.

I will be adding more pictures to this post later.

The Duchess of Cambridge Shops at Bicester

At the beginning of the week Kate revealed that she likes to shop at Bicester Village - an outlet. Apparently there are many great brands to be had at this outlet in Oxfordshire.

See the article below, from The Telegraph. Also, check out Bicester Village's website: http://www.bicestervillage.com/

"Kiss me, Kate! Yes, yes, both cheeks if you want to be European about it. Mwah! Mwah! Right, now we’ve established that we’re soul mates – bessie mates – let’s link arms and hit the shops. Welcome to Bicester, sister!

When the Duchess of Cambridge announced during her tour of the Far East that she “loves” Bicester Village, I felt an instinctive kinship I don’t normally experience when I think of the House of Windsor or, indeed, log on to Party Pieces. But when it comes to chic designer outlet shopping, we are as one, which is a good thing because if we don’t stay joined at the hip, we may be swept apart by the tide of Japanese tourists.

It is a wave now destined to become a tsunami, given this endorsement from our royal style icon. By rights, Bicester’s outlet shopping village, nestling in the Oxfordshire countryside, ought to have featured in the Olympic opening ceremony by way of a snapshot of modern Britain.

As well as the 4x4-loads of Home Counties ladies, there are Arab matrons in burkas carrying Agent Provocateur bags, Chinese coach parties descending on Cath Kidston en masse via a dedicated bus from Victoria Coach Station, Italians snapping up bargains in Gucci they can’t afford at home, and above all, an air of concentrated consumption. Not, it must be said, in a Primark, rip-it-off-the-hangers-and-leave-it-on-the-floor sort of way, but beneath the veneer of civilisation we are all hunters and gatherers.

Forgive the zeal, especially as I’ve only been once. And I don’t actually like shopping very much. But Bicester Village was – is – a revelation.

I visited with a friend who needed a proper frock and hooker-ish heels for an event at the Savoy. I arrived, slack-jawed with wonder at the pristine New England clapboard fixtures and fittings, agog at the olde-worlde street furniture, amazed by the ease and comfort (and speed) with which I parted with my money.

Did I bag a bargain? No idea, as I have no concept of how much a designer beaded cardigan is supposed to cost, and I was too intoxicated by the experience to care.

The shop assistants were beyond helpful, fetching unbidden accessories I didn’t want but, you know, I really needed. The thoroughfares were free of cars, free of stress. The loos were high calibre.

Because oddly, despite being all about the, as Kate would put it, “contained” shopping, Bicester is more – oh, so very much more. It’s about the relaxing stroll, the egalitarian browsing, the unhurried cup of coffee on an ergonomically designed bench. And the female pair-bonding. Above all, the bonding.

Only a fool would go to Bicester with her husband or boyfriend. It will not end well. How could it? If he gets grumpy and bored in Ikea, imagine how much worse will he behave in DKNY where there aren’t even hinges to look at?

The whole point of destination shopping is that those two words strike fear in men’s hearts, conjuring up terrible (although possibly not inaccurate) Hieronymus Bosch visions of unfettered consumer frenzy. Mine was so panicked by the prospect that he offered (yes, offered) to look after the children, which was, as any mother knows, The Greatest Gift of All. Apart from a Bicester Village discount card.

But before you may enter the Xanadu of 130 boutique-style shops tarted up to look like Cape Cod, offering up to 60 per cent discounts on high-street prices, you must be invited; only a saddo would pitch up alone. In fact, I’m not sure it’s allowed. No, you must wait and watch and strain to hear the apparently casual remark: “I’m going to Bicester at the weekend, fancy coming?”

This, ladies, is the equivalent of a homemade friendship bracelet lovingly woven from embroidered threads. It’s an affirmation at cellular level that You Are the Chosen One, the one who is cool enough to be considered a fun companion, and discreet enough to be a fitting confidante for a voyage of retail discovery. Especially if the discovery is that you’re both actually a size 16.

Which is why designer outlets are no place for minors. There are things that impressionable young minds just shouldn’t be exposed to: the wild cackling, the mild hysteria, the dread sight of mummy and her BFF trying on Vivienne Westwood puffball minidresses “for a laugh”.

No wonder Bicester features alongside Stratford-upon-Avon on tourist itineraries.
Vegas may be yield its tawdry secrets at the touch of a smartphone, but the changing rooms in Missoni will always remain sacrosanct, ladies. What happens in Bicester, stays in Bicester."

Article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/9538558/Thanks-Kate-now-the-delights-of-Bicester-are-out-of-the-bag.html

According to The Telegraph: The Rudest Question to Ask

Here is an interesting article from The Telegraph. Obviously there is more pregnancy speculation surrounding the Duchess on her tour of the Far East.

"Because of all the palaces and the jewels and the nice clothes, it is often assumed that women of my age really, really want to be the Duchess of Cambridge, when in reality nothing could be further from the truth. I love Kate Middleton, I admire Kate Middleton, I might even quite fancy Kate Middleton, but I no more want to be her than I do Edwina Currie. The royal tour of the Far East is a case in point – there Kate is, laying wreaths at a war memorial and meeting terminally ill children, and all anyone cares about is the fact that her hair has gone frizzy and she has refused to drink the 2008 Faiveley Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru “La Garenne” – ergo, she must be with child.

“She’s got a bun in the oven,” remarked a male friend who has a paunch more pregnant than anything Catherine has presented to us. Twitter users, bereft of an Olympics to talk about, have added to the speculation. The American magazine Star has splashed on the fact that Catherine is expecting (they also had this exclusive in 2010). Their evidence is not a discarded pregnancy test, or an aide witnessing a bit of morning sickness. No. Their evidence, m’lud, is a photograph in which the slightest of shadows is said to suggest the beginnings of a royal bump. Invest in baby booties, people!

Were I the Duchess of Cambridge, I would have used my first public speech in Malaysia to tell everyone to bog off and mind their own business. But this is one of the myriad reasons why I am not the Duchess of Cambridge. How does she do it? How does she deal with the endless close-ups of her abdomen, the analysis of the hormones that must be causing her skin to glow like that? (Of course, it has nothing to do with the humid, 33C Kuala Lumpur weather.) Goodness knows what gynaecological insights we will be provided with should it ever be confirmed that she is pregnant.

The Royal family will always attract unwanted attention. But endless speculation over a pregnancy feels intrusive. “When are you planning on having children and how many do you want?” is about the rudest question you can ask any woman, including the one who walked down the aisle at Westminster Abbey to a television audience of two billion. It presumes that a) you want kids and b) you are able to have them. Getting pregnant has always struck me as an intensely private thing, and we should respect that, even with the most public of couples.

Instead, we could perhaps concentrate on Kate’s TV viewing habits – a subject that hurts no one. I only mention this because it has been revealed that the Queen likes to watch Loose Women, a daytime show that sees a panel of females cackle about the issues of the day. This is less surprising than it seems. When a journalist posed as a footman at Buckingham Palace in 2003, he found that the Queen loved to watch The Bill and Kirsty’s Home Videos. In 2005, it was reported that Her Majesty had asked Prince Philip to record a crucial episode of EastEnders for her, only for him to accidentally tape an episode of Tonight with Trevor McDonald. They’re just like us after all."

Article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/9542141/Are-you-pregnant-The-rudest-question-is-not-one-we-should-ask-a-woman.html

Article from The Toronto Star

The normally smiling faces of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge were anything but that on Friday afternoon as they formally launched legal action against a French magazine that published topless pictures of Kate.

The photos, published Friday by weekly gossip magazine Closer, were taken while the couple was on a weekend getaway in France just before Kate and Prince William began their nine-day royal tour of Asia and the South Pacific this week.

The royal couple had their smiles intact as they sipped tea at a reception at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday and visited a mosque (right), but were definitely grim-faced as they headed to the airport for the next leg of their tour.

A spokesperson said they are "hurt, shocked, furious and disgusted" with the magazine.

The Palace quickly consulted their lawyers to see what legal action could be taken. Friday afternoon, St. James's Palace issued a statement confirming "legal proceedings for breach of privacy have been commenced today in France by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge against the Editor and Publishers of Closer Magazine."

Over the headline "Oh My God!', the cover shows some snaps of the couple sunbathing, with Kate about to take off her top in one. Inside, the five-page spread of grainy photos was devoted to their time around the swimming pool at Viscount Linley's Chateau d'Autet in the Luberon region of France.

The couple lashed out at the publication for invasion of privacy in a statement just before taking off from Kuala Lumpur:

"Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner.

"The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to The Duke and Duchess for being so. Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them."

Some distant shots of Will and Kate at the estate surfaced on the internet last week, showing the couple on the terrace with Kate in a bikini.

Will and Kate are halfway through their nine-day royal tour. A St. James's Palace spokesperson said the couple "remain focused currently on their tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Solomon Island and Tuvalu on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen."

A royal source told the news agency PA: "This is a clear and unjustifiable, grotesque breach of privacy. If we don't take a stand against this, then when would we make a stand?"

The publication of the photos has raised eyebrows for many because of France's strict privacy laws, stricter than those in Britain or the rest of Europe. The law forbids "fixing, recording or transmitting the image of a person in a private place without their consent."

A lawyer who is expert in French media law told AP the couple would have clear grounds for a case of invasion of privacy. Last week, French First Lady Valerie Trierweiler won a judgment of 2,000 euros after the publication of photos of her in a bikini.

Closer editor defends photos

Closer's editor Laurence Pieau defended running the photos and said she had even turned down more explicit pictures, which were also reportedly offered -- and rejected -- by publishers in Britain.

"There's been an over-reaction to these photos. What we saw in the pictures was a young couple, recently married, who are in love, who are beautiful," Pieau told the French news channel BFMTV. "She's the princess of the 21st century. They are on the balcony of a mansion in the south of France ... visible from the street."

Pieau added that there is no comparison between these photos taken at the sprawling 640-acre renovated chateau that was a 19th-century hunting lodge (right) and the ones taken of Prince Harry several weeks ago during a strip billiards game in his Las Vegas suite.

"She's a young woman who is topless just like the ones that can be see on all the beaches of France and the world," said Pieau, who would not reveal how much the photos cost.

"These are pictures that are full of joy. The pictures are not degrading. Similarities have been drawn with the pictures of Prince Harry. They are nothing like them."

Closer, which has a weekly circulation of about 400,000, has an exlusive on the photos, but Pieau said she plans to put them up for sale to other publications.

Closer is published by an Italian media company that is chaired by Marina Berlusconi, the daughter of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. There is a UK magazine of the same name, which has suffered some backlash from readers as a result of the photos, but it has been quick to point out that it is published by a separate company.

Being the most photographed woman in the world, Kate has had her run-ins with photographers before. In 2009, when she was Prince William's girlfriend, she sued a photo agency after photos of her playing tennis were published in Germany. She won an apology and legal costs.

The are overshadowing what has been a highly successful trip for the young royals in only their second major tour since their marriage in 2011.

On Friday, after the couple found out about the magazine's plans to publish, they attended a cultural event at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, where Kate wore the tradtional head covering with her Beulah London dress, then headed off a tea party at the British High Commission.

There, with news of the photos now spreading wildly, the couple maintained their composure, though the tea didn't do much to relieve the sombre look they had when entering the reception. That was only slightly curtailed by Kate's choice of wardrobe -- a light blue number with a layer of patterned lace from one of her favoured British designers, Alice Temperley (it goes for about $2,200).

She also wore LK Bennett shoes, which was a little awkward since one of the guests at the tea was another famous shoe designer, Jimmy Choo.

Article: http://thestar.blogs.com/royals/2012/09/french-magazine-set-to-publish-topless-photos-of-kate-middleton.html

The Telegraph: An Article on the Scandal

I have to say that since my earlier posts today I have sort of changed my tune, since new details have come to light.

It turns out that the house in which the Duke and Duchess were staying was quite secluded, and the photographer was at least a 1/2 mile away! Looking at a picture of the house, set among many trees and fields - it is quite remote.

It is therefore understandable why Will and Kate thought that they were alone (although I am guessing there was probably plenty of staff and security there...).

So, the upshot, I'm mad now. Before I thought, it's too bad that this happened, but she shouldn't have been topless in the first place - outdoors at least. But with more information, I think that it's disgusting that these pictures were taken, let alone published.

The Duke and Duchess are now filing a lawsuit.

Here is an interesting article from The Telegraph:

Photos of the Duchess will be published in a French magazine

This morning, the nation awoke to the revelation that the Duchess of Cambridge had been photographed topless with a man.That man was her husband. This is how the grinning perverts who bought the pictures described the circumstances in which they were taken:
"A little more than a year after their marriage, the royal couple was offered a romantic getaway, far from the protocol and etiquette in their very own garden of Eden.

Almost alone in the world… because Closer was there! After the Olé Olé holidays of Prince Harry in Las Vegas, discover the very sensual shots of Kate Middleton and her husband Prince William.

Discover the incredible pictures of the future Queen of England as you've never seen her before… and as you will never see her again!"

Read it again in a French accent and see if you can get to the end without feeling your gorge rising. I know I can't. It's a revolting description of a couple doing something perfectly normal in a private house. I think it's a repellent thing to do. Given French privacy laws (especially recent decisions on individuals being able to control their own image) the publication of the photos will be legally interesting wherever it happens.

However, I think the statement from Closer is wrong in one key area — that we will never see the future queen in such a position ever again. Every day, cameras are getting smaller, lighter and much higher quality. Only the other day, Apple unveiled an 8 megapixel camera that comes as standard on the iPhone 5.

To get that kind of picture quality before, a pap would need a huge, bulky piece of kit. Now, it's the size of a thumbnail and the weight of an anorexic wasp. This not only creates a profusion of cameras, one on every bystander — the bane of Prince Harry's nights out in Las Vegas — but also means cameras are much more easily mounted on radio-controlled flying drones.

If you look at the sort of pictures Team Blacksheep, a group of American drone enthusiasts have been able to achieve working out of their garages with hobby shop parts, or this polish video of a riot in progress it's easy to see that drones will soon be buzzing celebrity parties and hovering outside penthouses.
Soon, privacy — especially for the royals — will be a thing of the past, and in my opinion, that's a tragedy. We need to do something about this problem before it gets out of hand – even if that means Prince Phillip guarding his grandson's bedroom with a shotgun.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/willardfoxton2/100007678/kate-middleton-topless-photos-with-camera-phones-and-drone-technology-soon-no-one-will-be-safe/

A Pretty Picture of Kate

To boost our spirits, amid the wake of the drama that is playing out around Will and Kate, I thought that I would share this picture of Kate, from one of the many articles that I read :) I believe that this picture of her was taken during the Olympics back in July.

This is a great shot of her in general, but especially of her makeup! More to come!

Will and Kate: Scandal Hits while visiting Mosque

As the scandal hit, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did their best to continue on. Both looked very nice, but you could see the tension.

It seems a bit strange to mention clothes and hair and things like that at such a time, but I'm going to anyways. And I have some nice things to say again too :)

I liked Kate's hair very much. It was very pretty. I also thought that her dress was perfect - that colour is quite becoming on her, with her complexion and hair colour. It reminded me a bit of the lighter blue dress she wore the other day.

The white dress was also very nice. It was fun to see her head covered too! And she pulled it off!

It was too funny to see the Duke and Duchess with out shoes! I notice Kate's toes don't have polish on them. I wonder if that was done on purpose? Also, kind of neat to see their shoes just sitting there. It just seems so odd - it's like those nude "Sledge" shoes take on a life of their own, once you've seen them being worn by someone so prominent for so long. It wonder how they felt walking around in their bare feet?

Articles:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2203178/Kate-Middleton-topless-photos-Duchess-Cambridge-puts-brave-smile-outrage.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2203059/Kate-Middleton-makes-visit-mosque--wears-veil-attire-like-Princess-Diana-did.html

About the Scandal

PARIS/LONDON — French magazine Closer unleashed a new media tornado on Britain’s royal family on Friday with a five-page splash of photos showing the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, sunbathing topless with Prince William in the south of France.

Closer, a weekly round-up of celebrity gossip, ran a dozen shots of the Duchess as she slipped off her bikini top, relaxed on a sun lounger and at one point pulled down the back of her bikini bottoms as William rubs sun cream on her.

Under the headline “Oh my God!”, the photos show the couple, whose regal yet natural conduct since their April wedding has won them fans worldwide, soaking up the sun on the balcony of a 19th century hunting lodge, oblivious to lurking paparazzi.

The spread is a blow to Buckingham Palace as it tries to move on from a scandal over naked shots of Prince Harry that tarred an image bolstered by Kate and William’s wedding, the Queen’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee and her Olympic Games appearance.

While Closer defended its decision to publish the photographs, a royal spokesperson called it a grotesque move that had upset the royal couple, currently touring southeast Asia, and said Buckingham Palace was consulting lawyers.

“Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner,” a spokesperson for St James’ Palace said.

“Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them.”

Closer’s editor-in-chief Laurence Pieau described the photos as a “beautiful series” that showed a couple in love and were in no way degrading. She said the magazine had more intimate shots from the same series that it opted not to publish.

“There’s been an over-reaction to these photos. What we see is a young couple, who just got married, who are very much in love, who are splendid,” Pieau told French BFM television.

“She’s a real 21st Century princess,” she added: “It’s a young woman who is topless, the same as you can see on any beach in France or around the world.”

Closer, published by Italian company Mondadori, would likely lose any legal case over invasion of privacy, although profits from the issue would likely far exceed any fine faced, likely just a few thousand euros.

“It’s without a doubt an invasion of privacy,” said Christopher Mesnooh, a U.S. lawyer who practices in France.

“They were on vacation in a friend’s chateau. There was no expectation the press would be there. So visibly they have been damaged by the fact the pictures were taken and it is likely a French court would rule in that direction.”

The publication — which set off a stream of mostly angry commentary on twitter — reopens a debate over the privacy of Britain’s royal family and the freedom of the press weeks after a U.S. website published grainy photos of William’s younger brother Harry cavorting naked in a Las Vegas hotel room.

“Harry started the fashion: these days the Windsors take their clothes off,” the French magazine quipped in the photo spread, which it claimed as a world exclusive on the couple’s mini-vacation in early September.

Dubbing the affair “nipplegate” in some cases, a torrent of Twitter commentary on both sides of the English Channel mostly chided Closer for running the shots.

A spoof account for Queen Elizabeth, @Queen tUK, which has nearly a million followers, tweeted “Dear The Sun, Don’t even sodding think about it,” in a mock threat to the British tabloid newspaper that published the nude photos of Prince Harry.

The photos of Harry stained a positive image the Royal family has carefully crafted as it worked to turn the page on Princess Diana’s death in 1997 and a raft of scandals at the time including Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson having her toes sucked by a U.S. businessman as she sunbathed topless.

Royal sources said the photo spread was a flashback to the paparazzi chases of Princess Diana, William’s mother, making it even more painful for him. “There is a feeling of anger and disbelief,” one source said. “We feel there has been a red line crossed with regard to publishing these images.”

William and Kate were staying at the Chateau d’Autet near Aix-en-Provence in the Luberon region, whose picture-postcard villages, rolling lavender fields and vineyards have made it a favourite getaway spot for wealthy foreigners.

At one point the Duchess, clearly recognisable in the slightly fuzzy images, stands up and partly peels down her bikini bottoms as William rubs sun lotion on her back.

“The last time we saw Kate and William on a balcony it was for their wedding. But they had more clothes on,” reads one photo caption. Another says: “People always say she doesn’t need to dress up to look good. Well … Kate is proving this.”

Closer said Kate was also spotted smoking a cigarette on the way out of Marseille airport, where the pair arrived on a commercial flight.