Public soap opera leaves Duchess miffed

The kids have their millions and the duchess has her man. But that doesn’t mean everyone is happy.

The Duchess of Alba, one of Europe’s richest and most titled women, is upset that her family business was has been brought to the world’s attention.

The 85-year-old’s tale of love and money has taken on soap-opera proportions in Spain and well beyond its borders as the story played out over recent months.

In the latest chapter, the Duchess – also known as Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James-Stuart – has reached a monetary settlement with her six children that will overcome their objections to her marrying a civil servant many years her junior (right).

"Of course, I am very fair,” the duchess told Spanish television TVE on Thursday when asked if her children were happy. “And since it is my business I don't want to talk about it."

She added that she has no idea who leaked news of the settlement, but "I don't like it.”

One report claims that she has now legally bequeathed the fortune to her children but will maintain control over it until her death.

Her boyfriend, 60-year-old Alfonso Diez, was equally miffed.

"It is one thing for her to do her things, but another to have them aired," Diez, said when reached in Madrid.

The frizzy-haired duchess is unique among royals with a Guinness world record 46 titles, including 22 as countess and seven as duchess.

The duchess’ wealth is estimated between $1-5 billion, with enough homes throughout Spain for all her children and eight grandchildren.

Her two previous husbands both died and several years ago she began seeing Diez, who works in the social security department and has a public relations firm.

When things got to the point a few years ago where marriage was considered, the children stepped in to object.

 “Alfonso doesn't want anything, he's renounced everything,” the duchess told a radio station in February. “He doesn't want anything but me.”  

It's been reported one of the settlement conditions is that her eldest son Carlos will contol the Liria Palace in Madrid -- where the duchess was born -- along with its priceless collection of art that includes  masters such as El Greco and Rembrandt.

Five things wrong with Kate (or so they say)

Kate Middleton has had her day in the sun, okay? The engagement, the honeymoon, the Canadian tour, the fabulous dresses, the cheering crowds …

Now comes the hard part. Putting up with the critics.

Yes, what goes up must come down, and in the sunny glow of so many sugar-y reviews for the Duchess of Cambridge, a few black clouds hover.

So, barely two months into her entry into the royal household, we present five things wrong with Kate (according to some):

1. Not fat enough.

Has anyone had their weight discussed more or in a more public way? Yes, she dropped weight before the wedding and, yes, she could use a few pounds. There is suspicion that she is a poster girl for anorexics. Meanwhile, she continues to wake up, attend functions, smile a lot, and generally look healthy. She went from Waity Katey to Unweighty Katey. Just watch … the minute she shows a love handle, Sarah Ferguson will be trying to sign her up to Weight Watchers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Too much eye makeup.

British designer Vivienne Westwood says Kate has “a problem” with eye makeup. “The sharp line around her eyes make her look hard. Either she should be smudgy or wear none,” says the 70-year-old Westwood, who seems to enjoy stabbing little daggers into the royal psyche every now and then. The fact that Kate does her own makeup makes her vulnerable to such a charge, and there are some who agree with Westwood. Says celebrity make-up artist Rachel Wood: “She is one of the lucky kind of girls that can slip through on the not-so-perfect make-up front, but I do feel her eyeliner is a little dated and harsh for her beautiful eyes.” Best keep this little fashion faux pas in the family … maybe hire little sister Pippa as a makeup consultant.

3. She wears pantyhose.

Believe it or not, there are some people who think the Duchess is doing a disservice to young people by wearing pantyhose. Young legs are meant to be bare apparently, not forced into sheer hose that constricts the arteries and looks unnatural. But who could argue with the silky smooth look she presented on her tour of North America? Pantyhose can be uncomfortable and annoyingly fragile, but Kate has made it okay for young people to give up on tanning spray and submit to the smooth look.

 

 

 

 

4. She recycles clothes.

At first, people thought Kate’s outfit renewal program was great, setting a new tone for a new budget-conscious generation of royals. Then came Kelly Osbourne talking to Jay Leno: “In England they're like, 'Look how thrifty she's being, showing the British public that the Royals are in a recession as well.' I'm sorry, but 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!"

Osbourne was set upon quite mercilessly for her comments, but one wonders how many people agree with her. There is a mini-nation of Kate watchers and wannabes who count on her for their fashion advice and like to see new gear all the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. She’s never had a ‘real’ job.

True enough. Though she has dabbled in party planning and fashion, Kate’s career trajectory for a number of years been with William And Company. For some, it’s the dream job, but while no one would argue the fringe benefits, it takes a special talent to shake that many hands, smile that much, or to just flip a the pancake in front of millions and not a make fool of yourself. Whatever her resume said before, there’s no doubt she has a very real job now.

Billionaire duchess gives away fortune for love

The Duchess of Alba with her civil servant beau, Alfonso Diez. (Getty Images)

You can't put a price on love, but in Spain about $5 billion can go a long way.

That's how much the 85-year-old Duchess of Alba is parting with in order to marry her what would be her third husband, who is a civil service worker.

She is dividing her fortune among her disapproving children to prove that the love of her life, 60-year-old Alfonso Diez, is not after her money.

"Alfonso doesn't want anything. All he wants is me," the duchess said earlier this year.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Duchess -- her full name is Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva -- has the most noble titles on the planet (46, including 22 as a countess and seven as a duchess).

She is also incredibly wealthy, owning thousands of acres of Spain, multiple palaces and a priceless art collection. Estimates put her fortune just shy of $5 billion.

A report in a Spanish newspaper says she is giving each of her children and eight grandchildren a palace apiece as part of the agreement that was worked out last month.

The Duchess, whose previous husbands died, and Diez have been seeing each other for a number of years. It was rumoured that she was ready to go to the altar again in 2008, but had been talked out of it by her children and even Spain's King Carlos.

Diez reportedly signed away any claim to the money,but the Duchess is putting an exclamation point on it by giving her children their inheritance early.

Still, opposition to the marriage remains.

"If in the end my mother decides to marry, we shall go, although we still don't agree," son Cayetano told Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo.

Palace privacy not perfect for Will and Kate

Nottingham Cottage (circled) in Kensington Palace is out of the public's view, but is not shielded from other apartments on the Palace grounds. (Bing maps)

You would think that by now Prince William and his wife Kate would be used to having people stare at them.

Well, it’s one thing when you are roaming in public, quite another when it’s happening right in your own backyard with neighbours.

The royal couple moved into Nottingham Cottage in the Kensington Palace compound just last month, but the Daily Mail reports that they are not pleased that their home is within eye-shot of Palace apartments inhabited by palace staff.

It’s not likely Will and Kate are going to put up too much of a fuss, though.

For one thing, the cottage is temporary until they find a permanent London home.

For another, they do not spend the majority of their time in the city. Most days, William and Kate are in North Wales where the prince works as a search and rescue helicopter pilot. That is their principal residence for the next two years.

If anything, it might be the Palace neighbours who do the complaining. They can expect more royal helicopter commuter traffic than they are used to and the landing pad is the Palace field that is most often used by local schools.

Looks like everyone’s neighbourly manner may be put to the test.

Prince Harry, Space Cadet?

Prince Harry, standing in front of an Apache helicopter, will be prepping for possible deployment in a combat zone. (Getty Images)

Prince Harry apparently would like boldly go where no royal has gone before.

That’s right … space.

"Harry has already completed his studies of Land and Sea Surveillance and Oceanology--part of astro training -- and can't wait to get into one of NASA's T38 training jets," a source has reportedly told the Sun newspaper in London.

The report goes on to connect the dots that with his current flight training in Apache helicopters and his supposed passion for ‘Star Trek,’ he is on the path towards a berth in the NASA training program. He would need at least 1,000 hours of at the control of a jet to qualify.

If that’s out of range, he is also reportedly ready to pull a few strings and ask Sir Richard Branson for a seat on one of the first Virgin Galactic sub-orbital flights.

"He's been going on about this for months,” said the Sun source. “A lot of people don't know Harry's a Trekkie and has long harboured a desire to get into space.”

Whatever his dreams, they may have to wait a while. The Telegraph reports that the prince will have to keep an open calendar for 2012 because of the British military’s commitments abroad. He reportedly will be undergoing helicopter combat training in the U.S. later this year for potential deployment.

The 26-year-old pilot spent 10 weeks with British troops in Afghanistan in 2008.

Meanwhile, Harry is also becoming an art collector. A reminder of his Afghan misson, he has spent $4,000 on a painting (right) by war artist Jules George, who was embedded with troops there. ‘Beyond TheWire’ depicts troops boarding a Chinook.

Harry adds romance to his Spanish summer

Although Prince Harry insists he is “100 per cent single,” it seems he’s prepared to shave off a few percentage points for the sake of Florence Brudenell-Bruce.

Harry has spent this week on the Spanish island of Majorca, a long-time vacation spot for his family, flying solo while soaks up the sun and parties with friends (both sexes). His current girlfriend, model Brudenell-Bruce, is back in London while his former squeeze, Chelsy Davy, is getting on with her own life after seven on-again, off-again years with Harry.

The prince will reportedly be hopping over to another Spanish isle, Ibiza, to join Brudenell-Bruce this weekend. "Harry is busy with his Apache helicopter training, but he's always wanted to go to the island so he's hoping to escape for a weekend to spend time with Flee and the gang there,” says a Daily Mail source.

This little get-together comes after Harry had taken the step of introducing the 25-year-old lingerie model to his brother William and royal household staff.

“She has gone down a storm in the royal household,” said one source. “Harry's aides think she is sweet, funny and charming.”

Harry has stood on the martial sidelines this summer, watching first his brother Will and then his cousin Zara Phillips take the trip down the aisle.

As he approaches his 27^th birthday next month, is it any wonder that every female he glances sideways at (exhibit A: Pippa Middleton) is being mentally measured for a wedding dress by the media?

It’s not a game Harry particularly wishes to indulge in, seeing as how bachelor life has distinct advantages for a young man intent on good times and his helicopter credentials.

Clearly, Harry appreciates the idea of having a steady female companion. But is Brudenell-Bruce the One?

If she is, wedding bells are still a long ways off.

Said one insider: “He and Flee are enjoying a real summer romance."

Pippa Middleton: Porn star or children's book character?

48 A U.S. survey of 1,045 adults showed 48 per cent of Americans know the name Pippa Middleton, but they're just not sure why. (Getty Images)

Pippa Middleton has made it into the minds of Americans -- unfortunately, some of those minds think she is a porn star.

According to a recent survey conducted for 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair, when asked "Who is Pippa Middleton?," 2 per cent of respondents identified the youngest Middleton as an adult film actress.

At least they recognized the name. The poll noted that 52 per cent of those questioned had never heard of the Duchess of Cambridge's sister and 6 per cent thought that she was a character in a children's novel. Another 6 per cent thought she was a news correspondent for CNBC.

But it wasn't all blind-guesses -- 32 per cent of those who had heard of Pippa identified her as a ‘British socialite.’

There was no mention of Pippa's actual career of party planner.

So, it is only fitting that TLC will be airing a "documentary" next week on the rising 27-year-old star. Crazy About Pippa will be broadcast Aug. 9 at 9 p.m. (ET) on TLC Canada.

Pippa Middleton shot into the spotlight by wearing a frame-hugging Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding on April 29.

"Our interest stemmed from the fact that a pretty young woman entered Westminster Abbey as a sister of a bride, and emerged as a global phenomenon in the space of an hour," the film's executive producer, David Notman-Watt, told ABC news. "It was literally within minutes of her appearing holding Kate's train, Twitter went crazy, Facebook went crazy."

The program follows Pippa's life on the London party circuit, her relationship with Prince Harry (who has referred to her as a "foxy filly'") and speculates as to why she has caught the public's imagination.

Steven Hirsch of Vivid Entertainment, who appears in the show, says he offered Middleton $5 million to appear in a porn film saying that she could be an "enormously successful adult star."

Maybe this show won't help with the survey results.

Watch a trailer for Crazy About Pippa below.

Kate takes SAS training against kidnap threat

The Duchess of Cambridge's high profile within the Royal Family makes her a potential kidnap victim, which is why special security training is a must for royals. (Reuters)

You know you’ve really joined the Royal Family when you’re taught how not to be kidnapped.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, can reportedly now count herself among the graduates of a rigourous SAS-run course designed to teach key survival skills in abduction situations.

“"The Palace want to ensure Kate's new status doesn't make her vulnerable to attack.,” a royal source told the Sun in London. “"She has been well trained in what to do should the unthinkable happen.”

Many members of the Royal Family have taken the course, which is described as teaching “key survival skills such as noticing anything unusual in routine surroundings, how to react when attacked and how to build a relationship with hostage-takers.”

Among the skills taught are how to drive under pressure and pass on coded messages to rescuers.

Kate’s husband, William, took the personal protection training as a 16-year-old, learning how to fire a submachine gun in the process. The Queen, Princess Diana and Prince Charles are also graduates.

One of the most serious attempts at kidnapping a royal came in 1974, when Princess Anne was attacked in her limo by a gun-wielding man near Buckingham Palace. He was finally subdued by police.

The protection training is done by the SAS (the British Army’s special forces unit), Scotland Yard or the security service MI5. Royal Family members also have protection officers assigned from London’s Metropolitan Police.

Penny-pinching princes take economy to the skies

 

The weekend wedding in Edinburgh was first class, but travel was strictly economy for William, Harry and Kate. (Getty Images)

Passengers on the discount airline FlyBe were doing double takes as they wrestled with their carry-ons for a Sunday evening flight from Edinburgh to Manchester.

Among their fellow seatmates in economy -- there is no first class -- were two distinctly familiar faces …  Prince William and his wife Kate.

The royal pair, along with their mandatory body guards, took the commoner way home from the weekend at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where they attended the wedding of their cousin Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall.

A one-way ticket starts at $60 a seat, if they indeed booked ahead, or more if they wanted a sandwich thrown into the trip. Will and Kate reportedly went through the usual check-in and security checks at the airport.

They weren’t the only royals on an economy kick after the wedding.

Prince Harry took another discount air carrier, EasyJet, for his flight back to London, where he could have gotten a seat for about $50.

For William, flying economy is still novel, but nothing new. On his tour of New Zealand earlier this year, he took an economy flight from Auckland to Christchurch.

All this money-saving protocol may seem like standard operating procedure for most of the world, but it’s still pretty eye-opening stuff for royals. Apparently the younger set is taking the advice from their grandmother to cut corners where possible.

Even Kate seems to be taking the sentiment to heart.

With the eyes of the fashion world watching her every move, it did not go unnoticed that she wore recycled outfits for the wedding weekend. For Friday’s reception, it was a a Dine von Fustenburg Maja dress, which she last wore in Los Angeles last month. For the wedding, it was gold brocade coatdress that she has worn to two previous weddings, in 2006 and 2010.

The ironic twist to this royal economy kick came at the end of Kate and Will’s flight to Manchester. Once they landed, they immediately got into a car that was waiting for them on the airfield to drive them the rest of the way home to Anglesey, Wales.

What they missed inside the Manchester airport was the Royal Lounge (right), which has just been given a $30,000 facelift, including new furniture and plasma TVs. Officials figured that since the airport is the closest one to the couple, there is likely be increased royal traffic.

“It seemed only fair that we invested time and effort in the Royal Lounge,” said a spokesperson. “As we are Wills’ and Kate’s local airport, I am sure we will see them jetting through here more often so I am confident they will appreciate the effort taken by our staff.”

Honeymoon? What honeymoon?

There was no rest for either Zara Phillips or Mark Tindall following their Saturday wedding. Once the party was over -- and it extended well into Sunday -- the couple returned to their routines, which in their case is not so routine

For Tindall, it was back to England's rugby World Cup training camp, where he sweated out all the over-indulgences of the weekend, along some of his teammates who attended the nuptials.

For Zara, who will retain her maiden name for professional purposes, it was back to the equestrian world. The eventing champion is preparing for the Gatcombe Park horse trials as she continues her road to the Olympics.

''Unfortunately both of us do have quite busy lives so it's going to have to wait a bit for a honeymoon, but it is quite nice to go back to work as well," Phillips told the Telegraph on Tuesday.

She described the wedding as "amazing," but also discounted reports that Prince William was doing his best Bon Jovi impression in a burst of karaoke. "There was no karaoke," she said. "I think there was assistance with the band, but that was about it.''

PHOTO GALLERY: Phillips-Tindall wedding

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Royal wedding an all-day/night affair

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The royal wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall went off without a hitch, though we’re not sure if some guests remember too much about the party afterward.

Queen Elizabeth's eldest granddaughter, 30, married her ruby-playing mate of seven years at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Then it was off to the reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.

A good time was had by all, according to reports. A few notes from the occasion:

-- The bride was five minutes late getting church, wearing her Stewart Parvin-designed ivory dress (about $4,500) with a silk veil, topped by a tiara from her mother, Princess Anne. Reviews were mixed, but what the heck, it’s her day.

-- The wedding reception seemed to go on and on and on and on. The bride and groom did not get back to their room the Palace of Holyroodhouse until 2 p.m. Yes, that’s 2 P.M. The bride had changed into some jeans by then, but the groom was still in his wedding garb.

-- Also seen stumbling back to their chambers was Prince Harry, who went to the wedding solo. According to reports, he was looking more than a little disheveled and bleary-eyed. The bride’s father, Mark Phillips, was seen napping in an armchair at the bar of his hotel at 2:30 a.m.

-- The Queen, meanwhile, and Prince Philip had jumped (well, maybe not jumped) into a helicopter just a few hours after the reception started to head back to their summer home in Balmoral. Charles and Camilla also left early for a vacation at the Castle of Mey.

-- Prince William and Kate tried their best to remain in the background for the occasion. The Duchess of Cambridge wore an Alexander McQueen coatdress that was last seen at a wedding she attended in 2006. Yes, this girl knows how to re-cycle.

-- Speaking of Will, he reportedly did a rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” during the karaoke part of the party. The bride and groom also apparently performed some ABBA.

-- The reception dinner included fish (lobster and crayfish cocktail), meat (Scottish venison), and for dessert, a chocolate fondant with strawberries. Wine and champagne flowed free and guests also had the option of grabbing a glass from the vodka fountain.

-- There will be no honeymoon for the couple… yet. Tindall is back training with England’s rugby team while Zara, a champion equestrian, was back in the saddle preparing for some horse trials.

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