The Nanny / CBS

Will Kate Middleton and Prince William forgo the help of butlers, chauffeurs and personal chefs? According to The Telegraph, the young couple is determined to live a "normal" life — unlike Prince Charles, who reportedly boasts a household staff of nearly 150. That means the two are devoted to doing their own chores, cooking and errands, as evidenced by Kate's no-fuss philosophy (such as when she did her own makeup for her engagement portraits).

A royal source told the paper: "It's very much their instinct to manage on their own. They want to do their duty and make sure they are a real asset to the country, but they are private individuals who want to get on with their lives."

Steve Wood / Getty Images

Mamma mia! According to recent reports, legendary band ABBA might just play at the royal wedding. British bookies are already jumping on the news, giving odds on the band reuniting in time for the April 29 affair. (Could there be any better reason for a comeback?)

Other performers reportedly considered to play at the wedding include Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John, who sang at Princess Diana's funeral. One band is definitely confirmed by the wedding organizers – an Austrian band made up mostly of musicians with Down syndrome.

madametussauds.com

Once Kate Middleton marries into the royal family, she can expect to be fully embraced into pop culture history – with a Madame Tussauds wax sculpture.

According to the wax museum, Kate’s famous smile will be immortalized about four months after the April 29 wedding – the time it will take sculptors to finish their work and iron out details, such as waiting for Kate to donate an outfit.

Kate’s figure will stand alongside other royal statues, including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, Princess Diana, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla,  and Princes Harry and William.

On the museum’s website, Prince William’s wax figure page features an invitation to fans that won’t last long: “Quick, while Kate’s not here, get cozy with the future King of England.”

Getty Images and EPA

Salons across the U.S. and the U.K. have reported an increasing number of customers requesting Kate Middleton’s flowy, feminine hairstyle — claiming it’s “the new Rachel.” But you know a trend has fully come into its own when it hits the celebrity circle.

Katie Holmes revealed her new ‘do at the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards nominations announcement in Beverly Hills, and onlookers couldn’t help but notice she looked a bit... Middleton-esque?

It wouldn’t be the first time Mrs. Cruise stole a haircut. The former “Dawson’s Creek” actress adopted her daughter’s cute bowl haircut in late 2007.

Related: Kate Middleton's style secrets
Fashion-forward Kate sends retailers scrambling

Matt Dunham / AP

Will Kate open gifts at Queen Elizabeth’s estate this Christmas? Not likely.

Prince William will be on military assignment for the holiday, which means he won’t join in on the royal family's traditional celebration.

So where does that leave Kate? It's possible Middleton will be in Wales, if she opts for some private time with her fiancé rather than a holiday with her family.

"This would be her last non-royal Christmas," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. "In the past, once you marry into the fold, you're expected to be at [Queen Elizabeth's Sandringham Estate] forevermore, but that may be changing these days. Once they're married, I think they'll be at Sandringham occasionally but not every year."

But according to Little, William has made clear he doesn't want the Middletons to become outcasts after the wedding, as has happened with royal in-laws in the past.

"William is going to make sure the Middleton family is included in all the big events," Little said.

Barry Batchelor / AP

Prince William and Kate Middleton will soon have company on the royal wedding calendar. Buckingham Palace announced that Zara Phillips, Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter, is engaged to rugby player Mike Tindall, who plays for the English national team.

"The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are delighted with the news," the palace said in a statement. "They got engaged yesterday evening at the couple's home in Gloucestershire."

Looks like Kate and William started a trend within the royal family. Now if they could only get Prince Harry to jump on board...

Prince Charles may become King Charles sooner than expected, according to Christopher Andersen, author of the new book “William and Kate.”

“The very same sources that told me this wedding was going to happen are telling me that for the first time the queen is considering stepping aside,” Andersen told TODAY’s Matt Lauer. “The men in gray, as Diana called them, the people who run the palace, have wanted the queen to step up to this. Everyone assumed that she would stay there until she died, but she can’t because the monarchy wouldn’t survive.”

Queen Elizabeth is already three years older than Victoria was when she died. If the queen lives as long as her mother, who passed away at 101, Prince Charles will be almost 80 years old when he takes over.

“In my opinion [the veracity of this information] is a 10,” said Andersen. “They have to deal with it and they are dealing with it for the first time.”

William and Kate's engagement has propelled the young couple’s popularity in Britain. Recent polls have shown that the majority of people would like to see William and his future bride as next in line to the throne rather than his father, Prince Charles. For more, watch the video:

Matt Dunham / AP

Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton arrive at a charity gala on Saturday.

Prince William and fiance Kate Middleton braved the cold on Saturday night and attended a cancer charity fundraiser in Norfolk. The event marked the first time the pair appeared together in public since the announcement of their engagement in November.

Kate wore an elegant black-and-white dress cut just above the knee to the "Christmas Spectacular," and even risked towering high heels despite the icy weather. The event raised money for a children's cancer unit at a Cambridge hospital.

REUTERS

The first official royal wedding memorabilia - a plate, pillbox and tankard - went on sale Monday.

  While you may have already scored a Kate and Wills engagement mug or plate, the first official wedding memorabilia went on sale on Monday.

The range of wedding china – a plate, a pill box and a tankard, the latter also known as a big mug — each feature the couple's entwined initials, the prince's coronet emblem, and the date of the wedding — April 29, 2011.

The pieces were approved by the happy couple and are on sale at royal palaces and through the Royal Collection website. But don't expect a bargain: The plate is selling for $62, the pillbox for $38, and the tankard for $54.

Profits from the collectibles will be donated to the charity that curates the royal family's artworks, known as the Royal Collection. Watch the video:

Getty Images; Istock Photo vi a InStyle.com

Everyone’s busy speculating about Kate’s wedding dress, but what about the second most important part of the event — the meal?

The royal menu is finally getting as much attention as the gown, as celebrity chefs gushed about which dishes they think are fit for a queen. From Paula Deen to Emeril Lagasse, top chefs shared what kind of food they'd serve on Buckingham Palace's biggest day. (And yes, someone did suggest fish and chips.)

Slideshow: Chefs' royal menu suggestions

By Michael Inbar

Mingling with future in-laws can be nerve-racking for any bride-to-be -- but when they're Britain’s royal family, the potential anxiety reaches a whole new level. But Kate Middleton’s first intimate holiday get-together with the royals once again showed she’s a picture of grace under pressure.

William and Kate traveled to Buckingham Palace Thursday to share Christmas cheer with William’s 84-year-old grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s ruling monarch for 57 years. Also in attendance were her children and nearly all of her grandchildren, placing Kate directly in the royal inner circle.

Middleton emerged from the Christmas luncheon all smiles, which People magazine’s Suzanne Zuckerman said is nothing but a good sign. “There is so much etiquette, there is so much decorum, there’s so much that can go wrong, so the fact that she emerged from this lunch just beaming from ear to ear says how successful she must have been,” Zuckerman told NBC News in a report that aired Friday on TODAY.

Perhaps surprisingly, given that she and William have been dating for eight years and living together for months, 28-year-old Middleton hasn’t spent much quality time with the royal grandmother, making Thursday’s meeting all the more of a to-do.

“The whole notion that the queen and Kate have had intimate lunches or cups of tea by themselves is not true,” London Sunday Express royal editor Camilla Tominey told NBC. “Really, Kate has had very little interaction with the queen because the queen is so busy.”

And the queen doesn’t get any less busy as Christmas approaches: The royals are making their annual trip to the Sandringham House estate in Norfolk, several hours from London, for a traditional yuletide gathering. The future bride and groom won’t be attending; William will be on duty with the Royal Air Force in Wales on Christmas Day, while Kate is believed to be spending time with her own family over the holidays.

But Tominey noted it might be just as well that Middleton will be missing the pomp and circumstance of the family Christmas – after all, one prim-and-proper holiday gathering might be more than enough for the newest member-to-be of the royal family.

“It’s quite a stuffy environment; the royals at Christmas [are] very regimented,” Tominey told NBC. “Christmas Eve and the day itself are like clockwork with precision.” Watch the video:

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

The president and first lady were dressed to the nines for a Kennedy Center Honorees Reception at the White House earlier this month -- but if the U.K. Daily Mail has it right, they won't need to break out their glad rags for Will and Kate's wedding.

The U.K. Daily Mail is reporting that President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will not be invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton next April. The British tabloid cites "a senior courtier" as saying that "The guest list is still being drawn up and could change, but as things stand it’s right (to say Mr Obama will not be invited)."

The Mail claims that because William is not yet heir to the throne, the wedding is not an official state occasion and Will and Kate are more interested in having people who work for William's many charities and just plain folks among the 2,000 guests at their "people's wedding" than dignitaries and VIPs. However, the Mail says that French President Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni will likely be invited.

But state occasion or not, not inviting the Obamas would certainly be a break from tradition. In 1981, for example, President Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy were invited to the wedding of Charles and Diana (Nancy came, but the president, recovering from an assassination attempt, stayed home).

In assessing the credibility of the Mail's report, it should be noted that the tabloid has had to pay out hundreds of thousands of pounds in high-profile libel cases involving celebrities over the past decade alone. On the other hand, the newspaper has broken its share of scoops as well.

Landov; Sipa Press; Zuma Press via InStyle.com

How does Kate Middleton make it all look so effortless? The princess-to-be uses a few tried-and-true style rules, including relying on the color blue, accessorizing with hats and, of course, loving a man in jeans.

 Slideshow: Kate Middleton’s style secrets

Matthew Childs / AP

Prince William, left, with British Prime Minister David Cameron and David Beckham during a meeting in Zurich to discuss the 2018 World Cup.

Looks like two of Britain’s most powerful couples are becoming friends. Though Prince William and soccer superstar David Beckham were unsuccessful in lobbying to have the 2018 World Cup held in England (the tournament will take place in the Russian Federation), now come reports that their significant others – Kate Middleton and Victoria Beckham - are planning to meet for tea.

“David, Victoria and the kids are spending Christmas in the U.K., so William thought it would be lovely to have them over. Victoria is really excited. She can't wait to meet them, particularly Kate,” Now Magazine quoted a source close to the couple as saying.

Perhaps Kate will hit up the fashion-forward Victoria for advice about choosing a wedding dress. The former Posh Spice has drawn rave reviews for her designs, even snagging a nomination for designer brand of the year from the British Fashion Awards.

David makes no secret of the fact that he is a fan of Prince William, and although the wedding guest list is nowhere near final, the Beckhams may be hoping for an invite.

“I grew up in a family that was passionate about the royal family, and a royal wedding will be fantastic for the whole country,” the Daily Mail quoted David Beckham as saying.  But, he added, “I haven’t asked for an invitation yet.”

NBC News

Jessica Hay (right) with friend and former schoolmate Kate Middleton.

By Jessica Hay

The future queen of England may have been known in the tabloids as “Waity Katie,” but for the people who know her, she’s best described as “Matey Katie,” for the simple reason that she is just that – a very good mate. I know that as she helped me many a time with my math homework, and she can do a great rendition of “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston before bedtime.

With Catherine, what you see is what you get: She is her own person, speaks her mind, and is as beautiful inside as she is outside.

She comes from a very normal and close family, so even though her world will completely change when she marries William, she has the kind of down-to-earth attitude that will carry her through with ease.

Wills and Catherine are polar opposites in terms of where they come from, but there is no mistaking their closeness. They are a normal couple. They laugh nonstop, and that is their secret. Catherine always says, “Why be serious when life is so short?”

The other day, a journalist wrote in a tabloid that Kate should have gone for more of a glitzy look in her recently released engagement photos. But Catherine doesn’t need the most expensive designers: She is an individual, she likes what she likes, and no matter how expensive or inexpensive the outfit, she will wear it with pride and look gorgeous – even in sweatpants and a T-shirt. God, how I envy her!

There has been a lot of speculation about who will design the wedding dress. Kate has a close relationship with Issa, who has styled some fantastic outfits for her, including the famous blue dress that she wore for the engagement announcement. There has also been talk of Kate turning to Bruce Oldfield, another very talented designer.

All I can say is that whoever she chooses will create a dress that reflects her personality, which is understated and naturally beautiful. Gone are the puffy shoulder pads and meringue wedding dresses that we have seen in the past. The dress, the couple, and indeed the whole occasion, will portray a new era and a new age, which will take the royal family forward and make it more accessible for the public.

Jessica Hay is an NBC News contributor and friend of Kate Middleton.

Want the latest dish on the royal wedding? Good news: Now you can forego the generic china and order something truly unique — “unofficial” Wills and Kate commemorative plates. 

KK Outlet revealed their new line of souvenir plates – and they do not disappoint. The creative agency’s plates boast funny, clever slogans, including “Thanks for the free day off,” “Economic crisis? What economic crisis?” and “It should have been me.” The collection – on sale on January 15^th at kkoutlet.com – is just another example of how tchotchkes are getting more creative and popular the closer we get to the big royal day.

See KK Outlet's souvenir plate collection

kkoutlet.com

kkoutlet.com

noproblem-orchestra.at

An Austrian band made up mostly of musicians with Down syndrome has two big gigs next year: royal weddings in Britain and Monaco.

According to the AP, Josef Schoerkmayr – head of the No Problem Orchestra – says the group was contacted by organizers of Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day on April 29, as well as an official from Monaco where Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock will tie the knot in July.

The band members – who all have disabilities – are already rehearsing but aren't nervous because they've had plenty of practice playing for a high-profile audience including Queen Elizabeth II roughly eight years ago, Schoerkmayr said. Their repertoire ranges from classical to rock, jazz and even traditional Austrian folk music. It’s a sweet touch to what will most likely be a beautiful affair.

Related: Will the queen's composer score the royal wedding?

Mario Testino / Reuters

The official engagement photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton were given "minimal" adjustments to light balance and contrast, the palace acknowledged Tuesday.

They may have been "in their prime and brimming with happiness," as photographer Mario Testino put in when he snapped their official engagement photos -- but that doesn't mean that Prince William and Kate Middleton didn't get a little digital help.

It was just a little, mind you -- "mininal" retouching, the palace said. Specifically, the contrast and light balance were tweaked.

"The final portraits are like works of art," the palace said Tuesday when it acknowledged the alterations, comparing the photos to painted portaits of previous generations of royals.

Kate, of course, doesn't need much help. But there must have been temptation to give Wills just a little more hair....

grahambrown.com

Next time you’re redecorating your home, you might want to work in a royal hue.

Luxury paint maker Graham & Brown just introduced a new wall color called “Princess to be” in honor of Kate Middleton’s engagement. The soft pink (with just a hint of peach) is included in “a range of paint colours inspired by the icons and culture that made Britain great,” according to the company’s website. At $35 a can (and available in a contemporary flat matte finish), it’s a delightfully affordable way to get a touch of Buckingham Palace in your home.

 But the question remains: What color can we expect for when Kate and Will make it official? Our vote is for a bold, engagement-ring sapphire blue.

Related: Royal wedding yields deluge of tchotchkes

Reuters

The white Nanette dress Kate Middleton wore in the official engagement photos is no longer in stock.

She may have stylists galore at her disposal, but if her fashion is any guide, Kate Middleton lives up to her reputation as a regular girl.

In the official engagement photographs released over the past weekend, Prince William’s fiancee is pictured wearing what’s known locally as high-street fashion – basically, clothing from stores found in any U.K. shopping area or mall. Hardly the designer digs one would expect from a princess-to-be.

The white Nanette gown she wore in the formal photo, for example, comes from British retailer Reiss, and is said to have sold last season for about $250, while the white “vintage-inspired” silk top she wore while wrapped in Prince William’s embrace sells for about $150, according to the Daily Mail newspaper.

Kate also did her own makeup for her engagement portraits. "Kate had already done most of her makeup the way she wanted – she wanted to look very natural," a source tells UsMagazine.com.

Since the engagement was announced, Kate has become the woman to watch on Britain’s style scene: Anything she’s pictured in is almost guaranteed to send sales soaring. For Reiss, this has meant a real uptick in traffic since the photos were splashed across the front page of nearly every U.K. newspaper last Sunday.

Reiss

The white Nanette dress Kate Middleton wore in the official engagement photos has sold out, but British retailer Reiss will have a new version available next month.

But in what’s sure to be considered a stroke of bad luck, the Nanette dress is no longer available in stores. The retailer, which has nine stores in the U.S., is scrambling to meet the newfound demand, and will have a new version of the dress available in January 2011. Whistles also plans to re-release its white silk blouse in early 2011.

“Kate has been a customer of Reiss for some time now and we are absolutely delighted that she chose to wear one of our dresses for such a wonderful occassion” said David Reiss, founder and managing director. “We wish both Prince William and Kate Middleton all the best for the future.” And for those who can’t wait another month for the future, a recent listing on eBay featured the dress, with tags still on, selling for about $715.

Last month, retailers saw a run on the royal blue Issa dress Kate wore to announce her engagement. At about $715, the dress sold out and instantly. Within days, it spurred knockoffs from value retailers, like Tesco, which is selling its “Kate dress” for about $25.

For more about Kate's style, watch the video:

Reuters

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton pose in one of two official engagement portraits, taken by photographer Mario Testino on Nov. 25.

The official engagement photos of Will and Kate have been released, and they provide a stark contrast to the images of a clearly shocked Prince Charles and Camilla caught in a student riot in London last week. Taken by the celebrated Mario Testino – the favorite photographer of Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana—the informal engagement shots were taken just after the announcement, and they reveal a couple “in their prime and brimming with love,” Testino said. There is speculation that their release was timed to divert attention from the unpleasantness surrounding Charles and Camilla—but with anarchist groups threatening to disrupt the royal nuptials, will security and cost issues darken Will and Kate’s big day? Watch the video: