Princess-in-waiting Kate Middleton is horrified by the latest scandal to engulf her. Royal writer Phil Dampier reports.
Just as speculation mounts that Prince William is finally set to propose, Kate Middleton has been left red-faced by suggestions that her family have been cashing in on talk of her impending royal wedding.
An embarrassed Kate — who has long suffered snide suggestions in the British press that her family are social climbers — last week returned from a secret skiing holiday with William in the French Alps, to find lurid newspaper headlines criticising her role as a “saleswoman” for the Middletons’ party-planning firm.
Kate’s face is prominently displayed on the website of her parents’ multi-million dollar business, which sells children’s party items. Mum Carole, 54, and dad Michael, 59, are promoting a staggering 84 princess-themed products, from tiaras and ball gowns to castles and fairytale stagecoaches. Most expensive is a pink princess trike at $524.
“This is plainly cashing in on palace connections and the royals aren’t going to like it,” a courtier exclusively told me.
“Kate is a famous woman only because of William and it’s clear to see that any product she endorses with a regal connection will sell. There’s a very real concern that what she’s doing trivialises the name of the British monarchy.”
For the full story, see this week’s Woman’s Day (on sale March 30).
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