It has been almost a month since the Windsor & Middleton Spectacular, Spectacular on Friday, April 29, 2011. More than enough time for a relaxation on the enforced diet of our global overfeeding; from a rich appetite of Royal Wedding minutiae, and hopefully enough time for the subsequent dissipation of the attributable ‘media gout’ of all things Wills & Kate!
I have to say, I still possess a bit of a whetted ‘taste’ for all news Middleton. Apparently, I am not alone, as it seems that no matter how infinitesimal the fact, the press is pursuing it with nothing short of esoteric tenacity.
Submitted for your review, this small, direct and to the point article was printed in an Australian newspaper; PerthNow and conveys a perfect example of which I speak!
Margaret River's Royal Mystery
PerthNow
May 24, 2011
WHO'S HANNAH?: James Middleton, brother of the Duchess of Cambridge, is reportedly in a relationship with a Margaret River woman.
THE surf town of Margaret River is at the centre of a royal tale that reaches as far as the future king of England.
The South-West town is abuzz with reports that a local girl is in a relationship with James Middleton, the brother of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.
And the WA girl was reportedly on his arm at the royal wedding of Kate and Prince William at Westminster Abbey.
Reports said the girl, whose first name is Hannah, is from Margaret River but is studying in London. Her mother still lives in the surf and wine town.
Do you have any information on the royal mystery or Hannah's identify? Email entertainment@perthnow.com.au
‘Who knew, that James Middleton would glean such interest?’ A year ago this time, most would have been asking 'James who?' and 'Margaret of where?' More importantly the general echo might have been; 'and why'
In the time running up to, during and since the wedding; we’ve run the gamut of most of Kate’s relatives; from former air hostess mom; Carole Middleton, to ‘sordid’ Uncle, Gary Goldsmith, to ‘sexy siren’ sister; Pippa, it has only been since the wedding that ‘lil-brother’ James the cake maker, has to some degree captured the world’s notice.
Whilst attending the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, yes, this esoteric was there in full force; from time to time connections do pay off, one aspect of the panoply that impacted me the most was James Middleton’s reading, the only reading throughout the entire service I might add. For someone who appreciates clear enunciation, as well as impactful speech, I felt that he nailed it. I would also reckon that most of my fellow wedding guests would have considered it a job well done. Imagine my surprise immediately afterwards, when I began to read rather derogatory comments in his direction. Most remarks were aimed at what they considered a dull delivery, given without emotion. I can assure you from within the abbey, this was not the mood set by his efforts nor the ambiance experienced.
During the interim, some of those who blabbed such moronic comments have been left with ‘third estate egg on their face!’ Such is the result for those who rush to judgment and justly proving; for those who speak before they think; are often their own worst enemy. What makes it most appealing is when they print their quotes, a silent confirmation of their rashness before the fact!
In an about face, the fates have been kind and James Middleton’s pitch perfect delivery was made even more poignant when we learned that he has struggled with dyslexia. Imagine the pressure he must have felt with the important role that he was performing that day! Single handedly he proved that dedication to the end result is achievable, often with flawless results.
No matter what, when all is said and done, the inner core of the Middleton family cannot fail to create an intense interest. More so than based on the fact that a potential future queen was raised in their midst, that is a given. To hone not too fine a point, this family has become a symbol of what hard work, relentless drive and determination can achieve. Not that they are necessarily poised to become ‘poster family’ status, but they still convey the fact that an upwardly mobile social movement is alive and well in what is still in large part a class driven society, especially in the UK!
Below are a few relatable articles that detail just how impactful the Middleton’s have become, both as a family unit and set apart as individuals. A rather significant inroads made by the family is that they appear to be on the brink of merging more seamlessly with the Windsor’s like no other ‘in-laws’ family from the past.
In fact, tradition was that the royal in-laws of the recent past were in a sort of ‘Social Siberia’ where it came to socializing with the royal family at large. In the past, Queen Elizabeth would never have considered it an option to cozy up with the Phillips, Spencers, or the Fergusons, even though she had prior existing connections with them. The Rhys-Jones were even ‘further North’ in this social tundra, achieving polar ice cap status. Now, it appears that things might have thawed a bit in this direction, for it seems that a far less glacial approach is taking place with regards to recognizing the importance of Michael and Carole Middleton, who no doubt hope to find more and more heavily embossed & crested 'Buck House' invites dropping into their Bucklebury mail slot and letter box.
As time progresses, lets’ hope that the family’s brush with fame and fortune will all turn out for the best!
JAMES MIDDLETON:
KATE'S BAD-BOY BROTHER
By Tom Sykes
The Daily Beast
May 6, 2011
Just when the newlywed royals thought Osama had knocked them off the front page for good, up pop a set of photographs of young James Middleton -- Kate's 23-year-old, handsome little brother who read the lesson in Westminster Abbey last week -- engaging in all sorts of embarrassing activity, including dressing up in a French maid's uniform and flashing his buttocks with a group of male friends next to a rural road sign reading "Back Lane."
Rumors have long circulated that James is gay -- if you type "Is James Mi.." into Google, it fills in "ddleton gay" for you -- spurred on by the triple whammy that he a) runs a cake-making business, b) is devastatingly handsome and is therefore an object of gay wishful thinking, and c) didn't take a guest (male or female) to the wedding. The world's media has jumped on the latest pictures to continue their drawn-out game of nudge-nudge wink-wink, finding ways to suggest James is gay, without, of course, actually saying so. Fleshbot couldn't resist inviting us to meet "the man who would be Queen." British newspapers including the Telegraph and The Daily Mail have a history of referring to him as "flamboyant," a traditional British code-word for gay.
In fact, James's sexuality is a mystery. One well-placed insider says, "I don't know whether James is gay or not. The rumors have been fueled by the fact that although he is constantly surrounded by beautiful women, he has never been in a long-term relationship. It may well just be that he hasn't found the right woman yet."
The pictures of James indulging in a bit of mooning should be taken in the context of the upper-class British tradition of homoerotic, public-schoolboy clowning.
The latest pictures of James posing nearly naked by a fire and indulging in a bit of mooning should be taken in the context of the upper-class British tradition of homoerotic, public-schoolboy clowning. For the truth is that dressing up in drag and pretending to be gay have been part of posh male British horseplay for centuries. There is a clear line that can be drawn from James Middleton's latest japes, to D.H. Lawrence's depiction of male toffs wrestling naked by the fire in Women in Love, to the medieval depictions of penises entering bottoms which adorned the margins of even the most sacred texts -- and were read only by educated men.
Most British people would actually be much more unimpressed by pictures (published only in Australia because British editors did not want to run the risk of falling foul of the Press Complaints Commission) taken in April 2009 of James urinating on the street following a big night out in London. Gay streaks are fine in British society -- loutish tendencies are definitely not.
Like his sisters, James went to school at Marlborough, one of Britain's most expensive boarding schools, but dropped out of Edinburgh University in 2007 after one year to set up his unusual business, called the Cake Kit Company. "Within a few weeks I knew it wasn't where I wanted to be," he told The Daily Telegraph of his university days. "I was always looking for business ideas."
James said the idea of a business making themed birthday cakes -- with the slogan, "Home made, made even easier!" -- came from an article that said a mother baking is one of the most powerful childhood memories. He developed his birthday-cake packs on themes such as football, dinosaurs, lions, rockets, fairies, and handbags. Each includes the cake mixture, icing, candles, and a disposable baking tray.
On a personal level, James is described by those who know him as good company. "James is very dashing and very charming," says Katie Nicholl, the Mail on Sunday journalist and author of the book, The Making of a Royal Romance. "He is incredibly social and outgoing, and he enjoys parties and going out. Kate has always been very reserved in public -- she never raises her voice or loses any sense of composure -- but James is more spontaneous. He has a naughty streak which he shares with his mother, Carole, and he wears his heart on his sleeve."
"James and William get on well, and he is often included in shooting weekends at Balmoral," she continues. "He is a very good shot and also quite competitive, so William and he are always joking about who has hit the most birds. Now, of course, he will be on every shooting party guest list and he will certainly make the most of that."
Last year the Daily Mail published pictures of James wearing one of his sister's polka dot dresses to a drag party. Says Nicholl: "It's all part of that public school, dressing up, prankish lifestyle. It is what public-schoolboys do. He was just having a laugh and the last thing he expected was for those pictures to end up in a paper. Those pictures actually did not really bother him. The pictures that did upset him were the ones of him urinating."
There were some concerns that James was going to be the one to shatter the perfect image of the Middleton family - but in the end that role fell to Kate's dodgy, drug-distributing Uncle Gary.
Nicholl says that James' mother, Carole, had "a quiet word" with James after the urinating pictures emerged, and asked him to "try and keep a low profile" for the sake of his sister.
"That was when things changed," says Nicholl. "James adores Kate, he was determined not to ruin things for her, so he just stopped going out. He loves partying and socializing, but he was clearly prepared to sacrifice that for Kate. And he played his part at the wedding to a tee."
James is not above bragging about his sister's romance, however. When he does go out, one of his favorite haunts is the Fulham, London nightclub Maggie's (themed in homage to right-wing icon Margaret Thatcher.) According to one source he has been spotted in there holding court, saying, "My sister is going to be the future queen. You will all be bowing to me one day."
The remarks were apparently made with tongue in cheek, but such reports still alarm some at court, certainly much more than a few silly schoolboy pictures ever will. For the fact is that the private albums of many royals and British peers probably contain similar pictures. It's quite normal. James Middleton's only sin is to live in an age when digital photography and the internet makes global dissemination of these images so easy.
Tom Sykes, 36, is a British writer and journalist. He was formerly nightlife reporter for the New York Post and now tries to live a largely blameless life in Ireland with his wife, two kids, three pigs, six hens, and a turkey. He is the co-author, with Detmar Blow, of Blow by Blow, a biography of Isabella Blow.
After Kate & Pippa ...
Another Middleton Does Rather Nicely
Georgina Robinson
May 12, 2011
James Middleton's Royal Reading
Making a speech in front of two billion people is nerve-racking enough without having dyslexia.
Cake entrepreneur James Middleton - who is launching three new companies under the "Nice" label - delivered an unexpected stand-out moment in his sister's Westminster Abbey wedding last month.
But it has only just been revealed how big a triumph it was.
Mr Middleton, 23, suffers from dyslexia and chose to memorise his two-minute-40-second-long Romans 12 extract rather than read it from the Bible and risk jumbling the words, London's Telegraph reported.
James Middleton reads the text from memory during his sister's wedding to Prince William.
The result was a word-perfect recitation - the only reading to be included in the ceremony - delivered with ease, sincerity and confidence, while millions of people watched across the world.
People with dyslexia, which literally means "trouble with words", have difficulties with reading, language and words.
In Australia it affects about 10 per cent of the population, the Australian Dyslexia Association says.
Association president Jodi Clements said Mr Middleton's decision to memorise the extract was a common "positive coping strategy".
"Certainly a big occasion such as a wedding would be one of these moments when an individual with dyslexia will exercise that particular talent to the full extent," Ms Clements said.
Had Mr Middleton chosen to read the passage he was at real risk of mucking up the words.
"Reading aloud from a book is the most difficult task for anyone with dyslexia, reading in front of a crowd on your wedding day is a nightmare," she said.
"Many adults with dyslexia live with the 'scars' and past feelings of being called upon in class to read out aloud.
"This is one of the most stressful situations an individual with dyslexia can find themselves in."
The youngest Middleton joins a long line of successful adults who overcame dyslexia, including Kerry Packer, Dick Smith, Jessica Watson, Bill Gates, Jamie Oliver and Winston Churchill.
In 2007 he founded an upmarket baking business called The Cake Kit Company, which is part of his parents' party planning empire.
He came up with the concept after attempting a four-year environmental management degree at Edinburgh University, according to the company's profile on a business awards website.
"I believe baking may be the most alluring kitchen activity for children," he says on the company's website.
"I have great childhood memories of my mother baking and I was always a willing participant, especially if it meant I could re-varnish the kitchen floor with treacle!"
The company was a finalist in the Enterprising Young Brits awards and was named a winner of small business awards Smarta 100 last year.
Mr Middleton lives with his sister Pippa in a flat in London.
He is launching three more companies, Nice Cakes, Nice Wine and Nice Group London, the Daily Mail reported.
The reading James Middleton gave:
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour.
Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Meet Kate Middleton's Relatives
By Gabriel O’Rorke
ABC News
April 28, 2011
As far as the Middletons go, Kate is not considered the potential bee in the queen's bonnet, the Sun royal editor Duncan Larcombe says.
"This is the big fear that the palace have," he said. "Kate's perfect. But, ultimately, unfortunately for them, her entire family now from this day onwards will be exposed to high levels of scrutiny."
Let's start with the siblings, James and Pippa Middleton. Kate asked sister Pippa, 27, to be her chief bridesmaid, a role Brits traditionally give to a much younger girl. Pippa almost stole the spotlight. "Pippa has a reputation as being the really fun one, slightly louder and more outgoing than Kate," Tatler magazine editor Catherine Ostler said. "Possibly slightly naughtier.
"To a certain section of British men, she's become the most eligible girl in England."
But rumor has it that Pippa's off the market. She reportedly started dating Alex Loudon, an old friend of William's, before Christmas.
Meanwhile, brother James, 23, has remained more or less in the shadows. The youngest child of the Middleton family, James was only 15 when Kate started dating William.
James went to Edinburgh University, where he was studying English, but decided to drop out to start his upmarket bakery business, Cake Kit Company. His company, a subsidiary of his parents' business, has become somewhat successful.
"There is no doubt about it, James would like to be the next Richard Branson [of the Virgin Group companies]," a friend of the young entrepreneur told the Telegraph. "He is surfing on the crest of a wave at the moment. All his friends think he will make serious money."
He could be forgiven if he is feeling a little nervous. He will give the only reading at the royal wedding in front of a congregation of 1,900 and a global television audience of millions.
James will read from Romans 12: 1-2, 9-18, which proclaims: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds." It also says: "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord."
Now, the wider Middleton family, like any family, has its black sheep. Hands down is Gary Goldsmith: Kate's tattooed uncle, her mother's brother. He's a millionaire businessman who was allegedly caught in a tabloid sting in Ibiza, Spain. The News of the World claimed to have "exposed his drugs and vice shame."
"I think Wills and Kate will certainly be hoping that Uncle Gary behaves himself on the wedding day," Larcombe said. "And there'll be a few members of the Middleton clan keeping a very close eye on him."
Goldsmith made the guest list, as did (perhaps, surprisingly) his ex-wife, Luan Goldsmith, and their 10-year-old daughter, Tallulah.
But it's not just Uncle Gary who has made a buck or two. Kate's parents run a lucrative Internet mail order company.
"They're self-made millionaires and we should all be celebrating that," royal historian Robert Lacey said.
The Middletons live in the village of Bucklebury, outside London.
"They're just a natural, normal family like the rest of the people that come in here, down to earth, lovely family, very polite, very nice," John Haley, the landlord at the local pub, the Old Boot, said.
Kate Middleton's parents are successful but the family was less prosperous a generation ago.
Her mother's father was called Ron and he was a truck driver. His parents were Edith, a domestic servant, and Charlie, who delivered coal.
Kate's maternal grandmother was called Dorothy, and she came from a family who, for generations, were coal miners in the pits of northern England.
"I'd love to think that I'm as good looking as Kate but I'm sadly not," said Peter Beedle, Kate's second cousin, once removed.
Beedle's family has run an award winning fish and chip shop for 100 hundred years.
Middleton Relatives Dealt Different Hands
Living nearby is Anna Partington, a small town hairdresser. And she's Kate's third cousin.
"Eeeh, I'm related to her," she said. "Lady Anna."
Partington and Kate's great grandmothers were sisters.
"Yeah, we look alike," Partington said. "We're all pretty, the girls in our family."
But fate, and money, dealt them different hands.
"Well, she went to university and college," the hairdresser said. "And I didn't. I left school and worked."
Kate's self-made parents sent her to private school and St. Andrews University, where she met William and is now on course to be a princess.
On dad Michael Middleton's side were affluent lawyers from the north of England. There are plenty of Middletons on the guest list, including Michael's siblings and cousins.
Kate's dad was a flight controller for British Airways, where he met Kate's mum Carole, a flight attendant.
William's buddies reportedly used to mock Kate by saying "Doors to Manual" when she entered a room.
"I do think people have been terrifically, really unappealingly and horribly snobby about it," Marina Hyde of the Guardian newspaper said.
The class system is well ingrained in the British psyche, however much people would like to think it's not. Time, however, has changed this to some extent.
"A generation ago, someone like her would never have had a chance to marry a prince," Hyde said. "She would have been called a commoner and he'd have had to go looking for some nice princess of Denmark."
Now Middleton is set to be queen one day. A thought, one imagines, that her grandmother Dorothy would never have thought possible.
"It's a great moment, a real breakthrough," historian Lacey said. "Kate comes from an ordinary, common family. Not Lady Kate Middleton."
QUEEN DOESN'T WANT TO SEE
THE BACK OF NEW PALS THE MIDDLETONS
Michael and Carole Middleton are set to follow Kate into the Queen’s inner circle.
By Adam Helliker and James Fielding
Daily Express
May 8, 2011
WITH her magnetic personality and natural charm, Kate Middleton found little difficulty in winning warm-hearted approval from the Royal Family.
Now the parents of the new Duchess of Cambridge are set to follow her graceful footsteps into the Queen’s inner circle.
Michael and Carole Middleton have been included on the guest list for a private dinner celebrating Prince Philip’s 90th birthday in June.
Their invitation marks a break with royal protocol, which has seen generations of in-laws being largely ignored once their sons or daughters had married into the Royal Family.
Earl Spencer, father of Princess Diana, was never afforded the same hospitality while her brother, Charles Spencer, later attacked the royals during his speech at her funeral in 1997. Peter and Anne Phillips, parents of Captain Mark Phillips, Princess Anne’s first husband, once said they felt as though they didn’t “exist” and complained they “never got invited to anything”.
Michael and Carole Middleton are set to follow Kate into the Queen’s inner circle.
Ronald Ferguson, father of the Duchess of York and Mary Rhys-Jones, mother of the Countess of Wessex, felt similar isolation.
William, who shares a special bond with the Queen, has made it clear that Carole and Michael are very important to him. Aware of the tense relationship between the family of his late mother, Princess Diana, and the Royals, he has asked for his wife’s parents to be included in private gatherings.
A source revealed: “William will not stand for the Middletons being frozen out. He doesn’t want the old stuffy mistakes repeated.
“Over the past nine years he has spent a lot of time with Carole and Mike, who he treats like a second mother and father, and he wants them to become regular guests at the royal residences.”
William intends to continue to spend the odd weekend with Kate at her parents’ home in the Berkshire village of Bucklebury. He stayed for lunch the Sunday before his wedding and is said to be extremely fond of Carole’s roast dinners. The Middletons have twice stayed overnight with the Prince of Wales at Highgrove, and joined him one weekend at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate.
They only met the Queen and Prince Philip for the first time a few days before the wedding when they had lunch at Windsor Castle.
Needless to say they can now expect to be invited to more royal gatherings, particularly as their daughter is held in such affection. The Queen lent Kate the Cartier Halo tiara she wore down the aisle.
William and Kate, meanwhile, are said to be preparing to fly to the Seychelles for their honeymoon, and could jet off to the sun-kissed island of Desroches as early as today.
NR
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