royal

When I was a kid, my parents had a lot of books. Most of the "A-list" publications were in bookshelves on the main floor of our house but the odd, orphan publications always found their way to an old, green painted bookshelf in the basement, where they gathered dust with the National Geographics.

It’s shaping up to be a big week for the royal wedding rumour mill. The Sunday Times recently reported that Kate Middleton has chosen her dress designer and it will be none other than — wait for it — Sarah Burton, head designer for Alexander McQueen!

Kate Middleton got drunk there. Admittedly there are no such proclamations outside the Old Boot Inn pub in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, but as the Kate Middleton country tour confirms this is the future Princess' favourite pub and, given the grand tradition of English tippling, it’s very likely she has had one too many ales or pear ciders or vodka Slimlines (a popular chick drink here) at the establishment over the years.

Poor Fergie. If the public humiliation of drunkenly trying to sell your ex-husband's influence to an undercover News of the World reporter dressed up as a sheik isn't enough, what about being shut out of the most important social event of the decade? The Duchess of York’s ex, Prince Andrew, an uncle of the groom, is planning to attend the wedding, as are her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Now that must hurt, but it's also hardly unexpected—even for Fergie.

Last weekend I attended a friend’s birthday dinner at the elegant Beaufort House, one of the many members-only social clubs that are spread throughout Central and West London. Overlooking the King's Road, in the heart of Chelsea, the club is known for its champagne bar (where we happened to be ensconced) and its "Harry Hunters".