'It was so difficult': Fergie reveals her hurt over Royal Wedding snub

By Daily Mail Reporter


Hurt: Sarah Ferguson told Oprah Winfrey she watched the Royal Wedding on television from Thailand


Sarah Ferguson has spoken for the first time about the House of Windor's decision to not invite her to last month's royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The Duchess of York, 51, instead went to Thailand where she watched the coverage on television.

She was disappointed she wasn't able to accompany her daughters, Princess Beatrice, 22, and Eugenie, 21, who attended the wedding with their father Prince Andrew.

'I was not invited,' Ferguson, 51, who was caught up in a scandal last year after she was taped offering access to Prince Andrew for $724,000, said on The Oprah Winfrey Show.


'I went through the phase of feeling so totally worthless and that [it] was quite right they didn't invite me. Why would they - why would they invite me?'

She continued: 'I felt that I ostracised myself by my behaviour, by the past, by living with all the regrets of my mistakes, that I sort of wore a hair shirt and beat myself up most of the day thinking and regretting why did I make such a mistake? Why have I made so many mistakes?'

'I chose to go and be in Thailand in a place called Camelia... the jungle embraced me,' she explained.

'So difficult': Fergie was disappointed she couldn't join her daughters Eugenie and Beatirce at the ceremony

The snub 'was so difficult,' the former royal said, 'because I wanted to be there with my girls... to be getting them dressed and to go as a family.'

She added: 'Also, it was so hard, because the last bride up that aisle was me.'

Ferguson revealed she was in contact with her former husband, whom she married at Westminster Abbey in 1986, throughout the day.

'When Andrew went with the girls, we were talking all morning and he was saying, "It's okay. Just remember we had such a good day. Our wedding was so perfect." Because we're such a unit together. He made me feel very part of the day on April the 29th.'

'I really love the feeling that sort of Diana and I both weren't there,' Ferguson, who has often spoken of her close bond with with the late princess, told Oprah.

'But I'm here to say how proud she would have been and Kate looked utterly
beautiful.'

'I think Diana would be so proud of her son. Both of them, you know? They did a great job.'

Ferguson is to have a show on Winfrey's new cable station, OWN.

Her interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show will air in the U.S. tomorrow.

Royal affair: Fergie said Diana would be 'so proud of her son'


source:dailymail

William larks around on a boat in Ibiza with Kate and the Middleton clan in never-before-seen pictures

By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER

Athletic in Ibiza: Pippa Middleton performs a flawless backflip in to the warm waters of the Mediterranean as an admiring Kate looks on from the stern of the motor yacht


They were carefree days before the world became entranced by their every movement.

This is Kate Middleton and her sister Pippa as they've never been seen before, enjoying an exuberant holiday in Ibiza with their family and Prince William.

Taken in 2006, these previously unseen pictures capture a fleeting moment in the lives of the couple when they could behave like ordinary twentysomethings, unencumbered by the responsibilities they now carry as the new stars of the Royal Family.



Playful: Pippa climbs back aboard as William jokingly grabs Kate; right, the sisters relax on deck, with Kate using her camera


Sunshine days: William, in red shorts, with Pippa (left), Carole, in green bikini, and other holiday guests


They show the Prince larking around with Kate and Pippa, the girls' mother Carole and their brother James on a boat belonging to Carole's brother Gary Goldsmith during a week-long sunshine holiday to Ibiza.

Pippa shows off her athletic prowess -- and her enviably toned physique -- performing a backwards dive into the sea.

Kate, who also looks stunning in her white bikini, is content to stand back and watch.


Heir in the air: Watched by Carole, Kate, James (in the patterned shorts) and Pippa, William attempts a backflip from the boat...


... but the young royal finishes with an ungainly belly-flop into the water


Making waves: The Prince failed to match Pippa's graceful aquatic display


Carole, who won admiration at the wedding for her elegant appearance, also reveals a youthfully trim figure in an emerald green bikini.

Meanwhile, in his red swimming shorts, William could be any young man eager to impress his girlfriend by performing a backflip -- which somehow turns into a belly-flop by the time he hits the water.


Her Royal Hotness: Pippa in her bridesmaid's dress at her sister's wedding


The pictures reveal the extent to which the Middletons invited William into the heart of their family.

During their week in Ibiza, they stayed at Gary's £5million villa, dubbed 'La Maison de Bang Bang'.


source: dailymail

Kate Middleton shows off her pancake-tossing skills as Royal couple bring Belfast to a standstill with surprise visit

By Maysa Rawi


Flipped out: Kate Middleton concentrates on pancake-tossing as Prince William looks on during their trip to Belfast on Shrove Tuesday


Kate Middleton added another talent to the list as she showed off her pancake-tossing skills today in Belfast.

The future Princess celebrated Shrove Tuesday by mastering the art of the flip, impressing the crowds - and Prince William - with her culinary trick.

The Royal couple are touring the UK ahead of the wedding in April and by the looks of things, there is little doubt that she is settling into her new role with confidence and ease.

Mastering the art: Kate looked even more relaxed and at ease as she settles into her new role


And for a refreshing change, Kate opted to wear an on-trend £650 Burberry trench coat with skirt detailing, a notable contrast to the more formal attire we have seen over the last two weeks - swapping her flat boots for high-heel courts.

Perhaps Kate, 29, has been taking note of the fashion critics who have called for the future Princess to adopt an edgier, younger look.

There have already been reports that Kate has decided to have her wedding dress designed by Alexander McQueen's avant-garde protegee Sarah Burton - a welcome choice in the fashion world.

Greetings: The couple meet Lord Mayor Pat Convery and Dame Mary Peters, right, a former Olympic pentathlon athletics champion who is now the Lord Lieutenant of Belfast


And although the rumours have been heavily denied, it seems Kate's slight but bold sartorial adjustment today is a statement that she intends to make conscious fashion decisions when it comes to her wardrobe.

Either way, she looked stunning in the neutral piece, teamed with opaque tights and sapphire engagement ring as the couple brought the centre of Belfast to a standstill.

A small crowd gathered in the bright sunshine inside the grounds of City Hall in the hope of a walkabout after police sealed off streets and diverted traffic as part of a huge security operation for the couple's first visit to Northern Ireland.

Sartorial hit: Kate looked stylish and on-trend in a £650 belted Burberry trench coat with skirt detailing


They arrived at the George Best City Airport at Sydenham, east Belfast.

The couple were met by Lord Mayor Pat Convery and Dame Mary Peters, a former Olympic pentathlon athletics champion who is now the Lord Lieutenant of Belfast.

It was the first in a series of engagements planned for the couple, who are to marry at Westminster Abbey on April 29.

People person: The future Princess hugs a newborn, and shows off her sapphire engagement ring

Fans: The crowds gathering in the city centre after word leaked out because of the heavy security presence


The couple accepted a framed photograph of City Hall and a book on the building's architectural history.

They arrived in an eight-car cavalcade, with William and Miss Middleton in the second.

They paused for a time on the steps of the front door, acknowledging the cheering crowd, some of whom waved miniature Union Flags.

The look of love: Kate shoots an admiring glance at her future husband


Heavily-armed police patrolled adjoining and nearby streets, and at one stage used steel rods to check litter bins close to the City Hall gates and grounds.

One officer using binoculars kept watch from the rooftop of the Robinson & Cleaver building directly opposite, and at least two others, also using binoculars, positioned themselves on the top of City Hall, just few away from the Union Flag which fluttered in a gentle breeze.


Surprise: Senior officials at the Northern Ireland Office who were involved in organising the trip did not confirm William and Kate even planned to make the visit until their aircraft landed in east Belfast

Senior officials at the Northern Ireland Office who were heavily involved with Buckingham Palace in organising the trip did not confirm William and Kate even planned to make the visit until their aircraft landed in east Belfast.

But by the time the entourage pulled up in front of City Hall, word had already leaked out because of the heavy security presence.


WATCH VIDEO OF KATE'S PANCAKE-TOSS...




Source:dailymail

From little princess to future queen: Never before seen childhood pictures of Kate Middleton as she is given first official Royal biography

By Daily Mail Reporter


Portrait of a princess: Kate Middleton, aged three, on a family holiday in the Lake District


With pigtails and big blue eyes, the toddler playing on holiday in the Lake District looks like any other energetic - albeit adorable - three-year-old.

But little did the Middleton family know they were capturing an early portrait of the future Queen of England.

These images of Kate show the idyllic childhood that led to a fairytale ending as she is given her first Royal biography.


They appeared today on the special Royal wedding website to celebrate her forthcoming marriage on April 29 to Prince William.

It reveals that she was educated in a nursery school in Jordan and her expertise at the high jump at Marlborough College in Wiltshire - and where she also completed her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.

The site also releases previously unseen family pictures - copyrighted to the Middleton family - of Kate, including one of her and a white bow-tied Prince William, taken on their graduation day at the University of St. Andrews.

'Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born to Michael and Carole Middleton at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, on 9th January 1982. Catherine is the eldest of three children," says the biography.

Baby face: Kate, pictured aged five, hasn't changed that much in the last 23 years


'Catherine was christened at the parish church of St Andrew's Bradfield in Berkshire on 20th June 1982.

'In May 1984, at the age of two, Catherine moved with her family to Amman in Jordan, where her father worked for two and a half years. Catherine attended a nursery school in Amman from the age of three.'

It also reveals details of her gap year in Florence.

'In September 1986, the Middletons returned to their home in West Berkshire, and Catherine started at St Andrew's School in Pangbourne, where she remained until July 1995.
'Catherine went on to Marlborough Co
llege in Wiltshire, where she studied Chemistry, Biology and Art at A-level.

Exotic childhood: Kate, with her father and sister Pippa in Jerash, Jordan, lived in Amman for two years


'Catherine also took part in sport on behalf of the school, playing tennis, hockey and netball and participating in athletics, particularly high jump. Catherine completed her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award at Marlborough.

'Leaving Marlborough College in July 2000, Catherine undertook a gap year in which she studied at the British Institute in Florence, undertook a Raleigh International programme in Chile, and crewed on Round the World Challenge boats in the Solent.

'In 2002, Catherine enrolled at the University of St Andrews, Fife, from where she graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 in History of Art. Catherine continued with her interest in sport at University, playing hockey for the University team. Catherine first met Prince William when studying at the University.

'Since completing her degree, Catherine has worked for Party Pieces, a company owned and run by her parents. Alongside her work for the family business, Catherine worked in London as a part-time buyer for the clothing company Jigsaw Junior.

Happy couple: Kate and Prince William have their picture taken on their graduation day at St Andrews


'In 2008, Catherine launched First Birthdays, a junior brand to Party Pieces. Her role within the family business included catalogue design and production, marketing and photography.

'Catherineb's hobbies include recreational sports such as hill walking, tennis, swimming, sailing, and the arts such as photography and painting.'

Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding website has had over 500,000 visitors since it was launched on Wednesday.

Clarence House confirmed that the site has also had more than 2 million page views as well.

However the site will come to an end some time after the wedding on April 29.

Future Queen: After graduating, Kate went on to work as a part time buyer for Jigsaw before working for her parents' company Party Pieces


The site, which promises to share all details in the run-up to their big day, was clicked on by viewers from 180 countries in the first eight hours alone.

It includes a virtual tour of parts of 775-room Buckingham Palace, with visitors getting a good look around - although the Queen's bedroom is off limits.

The site - officialroyalwedding.org - has a video of the pair's official engagement interview in December plus footage of William, 28, and Kate, 29, revisiting their university town of St Andrews last Friday.

All grown up: The engaged couple returned to St Andrews last week


A spokeswoman for Clarence House said: 'It has had a huge number of unique visitors and we hope people are finding it useful, which they seem to be given the figures.'

The site will run for 'a little while' after the wedding but eventually it will close and Kate will have her own biography on The Prince of Wales' website, which already features William, Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Kate and Wills photos 'a revelation'


Source:dailymail