Will a royal baby be top of her list? Kate will give up her job but won't be a working princess right away ~ TVSeries+

By FAY SCHLESINGER, LOUISE ECCLES and JASON GROVES

Ringing endorsement: Prince William and Kate Middleton announce their engagement - but is a baby next?

Kate Middleton will not forge a role as a working princess immediately after she marries, fuelling speculation that she and Prince William plan to start a family straight away.

Kate, who turns 29 in January, is to give up her job as a website designer and photographer at the family business Party Pieces despite previous plans to continue after the wedding.

But she won’t be taking up full-time royal duties instead.

Her only official duties - including opening ceremonies and attending charity events - will be on the arm of her RAF pilot husband in the immediate future, St James’s Palace confirmed.

Kate will not get her own office and will instead share staff with William.
A spokesman said last night: ‘Prince William wants to initiate her properly into the job, so at first she will not undertake any solo engagements.

If Miss Middleton is free before the wedding, she may join the prince on engagements but that decision will be taken on a case-by-case basis.’

Happiness: Kate Middleton is set to quit her job but will not become a working princess immediately

Trip out: Prince William and his then-girlfriend Kate enjoy a trip to the rugby at Twickenham

The move is designed to ease the future queen into her role and avoid the depression and torment suffered by William’s late mother Princess Diana who was overwhelmed by her new role when she joined the Royal Family.

The decision prompts speculation the couple will try to have a child as soon as possible.

Interviewed as they announced their engagement on Tuesday, Kate said: ‘I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves.’

William, 28, added: ‘I think we’ll take it one step at a time. We’ll sort of get over the marriage first and then maybe look at the kids. But obviously we want a family so we’ll have to start thinking about that.’

Diana was just 21 when she gave birth to William in 1982, and Harry was born three years later.

Princess Anne had Peter Phillips when she was 27 – the average age for a mother to have her first child in Britain. But the Countess of Wessex was 38 when she gave birth to her daughter Louise.

Kate Middleton’s biographer Claudia Joseph said last night: ‘I am sure that Kate and William will be very keen to start a family as soon as possible.

'She is very close to her own family and she is already two years older than her mother was when she was born.’

A source close to William added: ‘The slow start is partly about easing her gradually into the role and partly to allow time for babies – definitely more than one.’

When the pair do start a family, the ‘sexist’ laws that govern the succession to the throne could have changed.

MPs and peers are to make a fresh bid to reform the ancient laws of primogeniture, which dictate that the first-born son of the monarch will inherit the Crown even if they have an older sister.

Liberal Democrat MP Lorely Burt last night called for reform of the Act of Settlement 1701, which also bars the heir to the throne from marrying a Catholic.

Ulrika’s dressmaker is bookies’ favourite

By Louise Eccles

Designer to the stars Phillipa Lepley last night emerged as the book makers’ favourite to design Kate Middleton’s wedding dress.

William Hill slashed the odds of Mrs Lepley being chosen to design the gown from 25/1 to 3/1 after a number of three-figure bets were placed yesterday.

Mrs Lepley, 41, opened her first bridal shop in 1990 in Chelsea after graduating from fashion college.

Will she make Kate's dress? Phillipa Lepley made gowns for Ulrika Jonsson and Davina McCall

Since then she has built a reputation for designing simple yet elegant bridal gowns using luxurious fabrics and delicate lace.

She is a celebrity favourite and has designed wedding dresses for Davina McCall and Ulrika Jonsson.

You & Your Wedding magazine said of her 2011 bridal collection: ‘Romantic flowers, majestic ballgowns and twinkly vintage lace – Phillipa Lepley’s newest looks are a picture of a feminine beauty.’

Wearing Phillipa Lepley gowns: Ulrika Jonsson in 1990 and Davina McCall in 2000

Her couture wedding dresses start from £5,000, but her shop also sells sample dresses from as little as £2,000.

Last night Mrs Lepley was unavailable for comment but Rupert Adams, spokesman for bookmaker William Hill, said: ‘There has been a real weight of money behind Phillipa, which would normally suggest that she is at the very least on the shortlist to design the dress.’

Meanwhile, Daniella Issa Helayel was the second favourite with odds of 9/2.

Elegant: A Lepley favourite

Miss Helayel designed the now-famous electric blue dress worn by Miss Middleton at her first public appearance with William after announcing their engagement this week. The £399 dress sold out within hours.

The West London designer has recently started making bespoke dresses for style-conscious Miss Middleton under her fashion label and the bride-to-be has become an unofficial ambassador for the brand.

Brazilian-born Miss Helayel specialises in slinky wrap dresses and her celebrity following includes Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue, Madonna and Scarlett Johansson.
Princess Diana’s own wedding dress designer Elizabeth Emanuel was given preferable odds of 5/1.

Mrs Emanuel, who designed Diana’s dress with her husband David in 1981, set up a couture wedding and evening-wear boutique, Art of Being, in 2005.
She has designed gowns for many A-list celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, Jerry Hall and Ivana Trump.

Designers Bruce Oldfield, Vivienne Westwood, and Amanda Wakeley all have odds of 8/1, while Stella McCartney stands at 10/1.

Alice Temperley and Vera Wang have odds of 14/1, while odds of 16/1 were offered for Jenny Packham and Ian Stuart. Dior was 25/1 and Browne & Daughters was 100/1.
Meanwhile, high street retailers Primark and George at Asda were given the unlikely odds of 500/1.

A wedding day off for everyone!

by Fay Schlesinger and Tim Shipman

Britain is to be given a day off work for Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton.
David Cameron has declared it will be a bank holiday so the country can enjoy a ‘day of national celebration’.

If the wedding is held on a Saturday, workers will have either the Friday or the Monday off as well.

As sources revealed plans for a flamboyant ‘people’s wedding’ to lift the public mood, it emerged that William, 28, has been locking horns with courtiers over the date – which is expected to be announced today.

Memorabilia: The wedding announcement has started production lines across the country

The prince has been pushing for a ceremony sooner rather than later – ideally in April or May – but his advisers have suggested a later date for the best chance of sunny weather.

A deluge of rain at an event likely to draw the biggest TV audience in history would only cement the image of ‘rainy Blighty’ in the mind of potential tourists, aides have argued.

Bookmakers yesterday shifted their focus to May, with odds on the date cut from 10/1 to 11/4 favourite overnight.

The Mail understands the row has delayed the announcement, with courtiers desperately trying to reach a compromise.

Details of the ceremony are still being hammered out, but a St James’s Palace source said the occasion would be ‘bigger than initially thought’.

William is thought to be keen to honour his late mother Princess Diana by allowing as many members of the public as possible to join in the celebrations - almost certainly at Westminster Abbey - and lift the country’s mood.

Reacting to speculation about a frugal service, a spokesman said: ‘Prince William and Kate Middleton have given strong direction that they would like to strike a balance on the wedding day.

‘They would like to have an enjoyable and accessible occasion for everyone, but are also mindful of the current economic situation.’

Centre of attention: The announcement gave just a small taste of the madness to come

The couple welcomed Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement to MPs that it would be a ‘very good idea’ to have a bank holiday if the wedding is held on a weekday - but still a ‘great temptation’ if it is at the weekend.

Downing Street last night confirmed that the bank holiday decision, which lies with the Government rather than the Palace, has been taken in principle. A senior No 10 source said: ‘There are some boxes to tick but it’s basically a done deal.’

Since the Mail published exclusive pictures of Kate Middleton emerging from Westminster Abbey following a secret visit on Wednesday night, courtiers have admitted the venue is all but a certainty.

The Abbey has space for 2,000 guests, while hundreds of thousands could potentially gather in Parliament Square and surrounding streets.

But finding a date that suits everybody is causing friction. Sources yesterday ruled out March, the month suggested by the couple’s friend Tom Bradby, who carried out their first interview for ITV.

A royal aide said yesterday: ‘March would just be too cold. But having said that, Kate and Prince William will do it their own way. We all know how stubborn he is.

‘They won’t be pushed or dictated to by men with briefcases. So if they opt for a spring wedding, regardless of what anyone else thinks that is what they’ll get.’

Tom Jones has offered to sing at the royal wedding. ‘If they invite me along to the wedding I’d happily come and sing a few songs,’ he said.

'I believe Prince Philip has written the pre-nup and she ends up here if anything goes wrong'

source: dailymail