Kate Middleton has reportedly been shown videos of the late Princess Diana in a bid to prepare her for life as a royal.
Kate, who met Prince William at Scotland’s St. Andrew’s University in 2002, will be taught about royal correspondence, public speaking, how to behave at banquets, and how to avoid the grisly fate that befell the beloved woman who would have been her mother-in-law (Not that avoiding headline-hungry paps is really avoidable). Palace insiders tell Us Weekly that Middleton has been “given royal assistance like no other girl has ever been given before entering the family.” In fact, the princess-to-be, 28, has been receiving instruction since 2007 to open her eyes to what marrying the future King of England will involve.
“About three years ago, palace staff started showing Kate video of Diana,” says Katie Nicholl, author of William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls. “Video of her getting out of a car and paparazzi going berserk so that Kate would know how to deal with it. Now she already knows how this works.”
In other royal news, Kate and William’s 11-day wedding celebrations will include “members of the public being given a chance to attend the exclusive service.” It’d be like getting a ticket into Willy Wonka’s factory — only with no lifetime supply of chocolate. (Perhaps they could throw that in?!) Australia tabloid New Idea also reports that “In an extraordinary act of generosity, Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, have contributed a five figure sum to the bill.”
Is it really extraordinary for millionaires to offer a contribution towards their daughter’s wedding?
The cost of the wedding flowers is already predicted to be $460,000! No wonder Elton John wants an invitation.
