I'm 58... and having twins: Single ex-barrister spent years trying to have a baby and now she's pregnant, thanks to donor sperm and eggs

By Helen Weathers



Mum-to-be Carole Hobson: 'I'm just looking forward to meeting my babies'


At 29 weeks pregnant with twins, Carole Hobson is — like most expectant first-time mothers — a mixture of ­nervous excitement and apprehension. This, she admits, has been a difficult pregnancy, and it will be a relief when her babies are born, hopefully healthy and well.

Carole has suffered severe morning sickness, painful swelling of her legs and, most recently, dangerously high blood pressure. This week she was hospitalised for five days, and she has been warned by medical staff that the twins — not due until February 23 — could arrive any day.

She has been injected with steroids to help her babies’ lungs mature if they emerge ­prematurely, and she is taking medication to lower her blood pressure in the hope that she can carry them to 34 weeks, when doctors plan a ­Caesarean delivery.


The risk to her own health is, however, one she is fully prepared to take in order to realise her dream of having children; a dream that has so far cost her more than £20,000.

But that is by no means the most surprising part of the story. For Carole is 58 years old — an age when most women are well past the menopause.

And she is single. Her twins, a boy and a girl, have no genetic link to her whatsoever. They were conceived using donor eggs and sperm.

Oh, and her babies will be mixed race. In her determination to have children, Carole travelled from the Home Counties to the Ukraine, back to London, to Cyprus, and finally to India where her fifth attempt at IVF proved successful.

The donor eggs came from a 24-year-old Indian woman, while the donor sperm came from a ­Scandinavian engineering graduate.

This is, by any reckoning, a truly astonishing story of modern motherhood — and one that raises profoundly troubling ethical questions about the extremes to which some women are willing to go in their bid to have children.

When Carole gives birth, she will be younger by four years than the oldest woman in Britain to become a mother — Patricia Rashbrook, who in 2006 gave birth to a son at the age of 62. She will even be four months younger than the oldest woman to give birth to twins — Janet Bosher, a former nursery teacher who gave birth to twins in 2002 at the age of 58.


But she is the first to undertake such extremes as a single mother, and has taken some deeply controversial ­decisions along the way.

Not that Carole sees any problem with her circumstances.

‘I have absolutely no doubt about my capability of loving two children who are not genetically mine,’ she says, in her first exclusive interview. ‘If I did, I would never have gone ahead.

‘I am absolutely thrilled to be ­pregnant with twins, and I can’t wait to see my children for the first time.

‘Age, to me, is just a number. Some people reach 50, just give up and wait to die: but not me. I spent my 20s and 30s trying to avoid getting pregnant, but in my late 40s and 50s I felt ­incomplete without a child. I want to seize every opportunity that medical science can offer me, as a woman.

‘Some people might accuse me of being selfish, or going against nature, but isn’t it going against nature to ­perform heart surgery or transplants? I’m no more selfish than any woman who wants a family.

‘People ask me: “How will you cope with twins?” or “How will you feel when they start school and you are 63?” These things do not concern me at all.

‘Yes, I am sure it will be hard at times, but I’m fit and healthy, and I fully intend to enjoy and cherish my babies.’

Nor, it seems, does Carole have any moral or ethical issue with Western women paying for donor eggs from women from poorer countries.

‘That is just the way the world is,’ she says matter-of-factly. ‘If women in Britain are not donating eggs, then you have to take a more global view.

‘As for my children being mixed race, we now live in a multi-ethnic society where it is simply not an issue.

‘I believe a child’s identity comes from being loved and knowing themselves, rather than skin tone. When they are older, I shall take them to their countries of origin so they can learn about their cultures.

‘If there are issues, there are donor conception networks which can give advice and help.

‘I’m not pretending it won’t be hard at times, but, as a parent, my role is to love and help these two babies to become happy, independent individuals.’


Healthy: A hospital scan shows the promising growth of Carole Hobson's baby girl


What makes Carole’s decision even more remarkable, perhaps, is her ­profession. A qualified barrister and trained social worker, she works for a national agency supporting vulnerable children through the court process. She has witnessed first-hand the ­devastating effects parents can wreak on their children, either inadvertently through ill-health, lack of maturity or ignorance, or, in the worst cases, deliberately.

This, however, she says has given her insight into the emotional and physical needs of children. And while she accepts that in an ideal world that means ­having a loving father, too, she does not consider it essential.

‘Of course, fathers are important to children; but better no father than one who causes emotional or physical ­damage to a child,’ she says.

‘Through my work, I have seen what some parents can do to their ­children. On my side, I have maturity and wisdom.’

Perhaps so, but others will no doubt see her decision as reckless. So how did she come to take such desperate ­measures to conceive?

A headteacher’s daughter, and the eldest of four children, Carole grew up in Lancashire but has settled in Kent.

Her three younger brothers are all married with children, and are what she describes as ‘very traditional, very conventional’.


Indeed, one of them told her she was ‘crazy’ when she announced her ­decision late in life to try for a child, even telling Carole that her babies ‘would be no relatives of mine’.

‘Some members of my family have been shocked, but I am sure they will come round once they get over the ­initial embarrassment,’ says Carole, whose elderly parents are both 81.

‘My mother is concerned about my health, but, along with my sisters-in-law, has been very supportive, and we all just hope the twins arrive safely.’

Carole, who has never married, admits that when she was younger she never felt maternal. At 38, she fell pregnant accidentally with twins, but miscarried. She was sad, but also thinks it was for the best because it was ‘the wrong time’ and her relationship not solid enough.

It wasn’t until her late 40s, when she realised time had run out to have a baby naturally, that it suddenly hit her what she’d missed out on.

Involved in a long-distance, on-off, 11-year relationship with a geologist, she asked if he would be the father to her children, fertilising donor eggs through IVF.

‘He wasn’t exactly horrified when I asked him, but he wasn’t keen either because of the logistics of our ­relationship. He was away a lot, ­working abroad.’

‘Then, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that this was something I could go ahead with on my own. Once you can pass the psychological barrier that this child will not be biologically yours, then you can also accept that the father can be a donor, too.’

Not surprisingly, the relationship with her boyfriend petered out not long after as she embarked on her quest to have a child without him.


Expectant: Carole Hobson's babies are due on Feburary 23 2011


It is fair to say that Carole, a single-minded character, went to remarkable lengths to achieve her goal.

It was in 2007, aged 55, that she first travelled to a clinic in the Ukraine ­seeking help to conceive using Eastern European donors, but was refused treatment when a scan appeared to show a complication with her kidneys.

After further tests in Britain showed her kidney function was normal, she then approached a Harley Street ­fertility clinic, where she underwent a whole barrage of health tests before being referred to another clinic in Cyprus for the IVF, because of a ­shortage of egg donors in Britain.

‘I had two cycles, both of which failed, and then, once I turned 56, the London clinic refused to treat me any more because 55 was their cut-off age,’ says Carole.

‘So I went back to the clinic in Cyprus independently for a further two attempts. Each time it failed, I felt heartbroken. But once you get on the IVF treadmill, it’s so hard to get off. It’s a bit like gambling: you keep thinking “Perhaps next time, I’ll be lucky”.’

So in one last throw of the dice, Carole took the decision to fly to Mumbai to visit the Deccan fertility clinic, after learning they accepted patients up to the age of 63.

In recent years, India has, ­controversially, pushed medical and ethical boundaries by treating much older, childless women, despite ­concerns over life expectancy.

In 2008, Rajo Devi Lohan gave birth to a daughter at the age of 70, but has never recovered from ­complications. The same year, 70-year-old Omkari Panwar became the oldest woman in the world to give birth to twins.

Neither of these women is believed to have been treated by the clinic Carole attended.

‘From my research, I could see that clinics in India seemed to have very good success rates, and it was also much cheaper than British clinics,’ says Carole, who liaised by email with the clinic for a year until she was satisfied with their methods.


IVF: A scientist screens sperm for use in in vitro fertilisation


She paid £3,000 for her IVF in India. This included the fee that was paid to the two donors she selected from the clinic’s books.

The egg came from a 24-year-old Indian mother-of-two, whom Carole selected from an option of eight ­possible women she was shown details and photographs of. The sperm came from an anonymous 6ft tall Scandinavian engineering graduate. She chose him because — unlike the previous sperm donor she’d used — he shared her blood group, which she hoped would increase her chances of success.

These are the only details that Carole knows about her future children’s genetic parentage, although she says she was impressed by the clinic’s detailed medical analysis of the quality of sperm and eggs.

She admits, however, that British doctors she has visited were horrified over her treatment abroad. They were alarmed at the much higher dose of hormones prescribed by Indian doctors, warning of the risk of deep vein thrombosis (potentially fatal blood clots).

They were equally disturbed by Carole’s agreement to have six ­fertilised embryos implanted in her womb to increase the chances of ­success — a practice long considered high-risk in Britain.

‘When I went to my GP for the pregnancy test on my return to ­Britain, he was visibly shocked when I told him,’ explains Carole.

‘I’d agreed to the implantation of six embryos because I doubted any of them would work anyway. The night before the pregnancy test, I couldn’t sleep, and when it came back positive I couldn’t believe it.

‘It was a bit frightening, and a vision went through my mind of six cots — but when I went for my first scan on July 5, it showed three embryos. The other three had not taken.’

Pregnant with triplets, Carole ­realised the enormity of her situation. The cool-headed manner in which she decided to deal with it, did, she admits, upset some of her friends.

At 13 weeks, she opted for a selective reduction, whereby a needle was passed into one of the embryo’s hearts and injected with a chemical to stop it beating.

‘The worst part was waiting for the procedure, because I’d made up my mind at six weeks,’ she says. ‘I knew that if I tried to carry all three babies, the risk of disability was much higher, as was the risk of prematurity and the risk of losing them all.

‘I knew I wouldn’t be able to cope with three severely disabled children, who might need 24-hour care or be unable to lead independent lives. Everyone wants a healthy baby, not because they are selfish, but for the sake of the child.

‘A few of my friends could not understand or accept why I wouldn’t want to try to keep all three, but it is not a decision I have regretted.’


At 20 weeks, Carole found out the sex of her babies and was delighted to discover she was expecting a son and a daughter. She has already chosen the names Matthew and Freida, but for the moment has nicknamed them ‘Kicky one’ and ‘Kicky two’ because she feels them vigorously kicking each other in the womb.

‘And I’m sure that will continue after they are born,’ she adds wryly.

Carole has nothing but praise for the NHS, which has been supporting her through this pregnancy. She is under the care of the South-East Neo-Natal Unit based at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham.

Without doubt, though, there are some who will question whether the NHS should pick up the bill for a high-risk pregnancy conceived and paid for privately abroad.

Carole prefers to concentrate on the positives, despite the mixed reception from friends, family and medical staff.

‘How you cope as a parent is not about how old you are, and I think my chances are perhaps better than an immature 16-year-old,’ she says.

Having waited so long and spent so much money on her quest to have children, Carole, rather surprisingly, does not intend to be a stay-at-home mum. As a single parent, she will need her salary to support them, so is planning to return to full-time employment following ­maternity leave.

She has no husband or partner to fall back on for emotional or ­financial support, or, indeed, to look after the twins should anything ­happen to her.

‘You only have to look at people like Jade Goody to know that young mothers with children can die early, so nothing in this life is predictable,’ says Carole.

‘But I have three brothers with children who, I hope, will play an active role in their lives and step in should anything happen to me.’

In January, a Spanish male au pair will arrive to help out at her three-bedroomed home in Kent, doing the chores and walking Carole’s two dogs, Milly and Lucy, leaving her free to concentrate on the babies.

‘I have a lot of stamina,’ she says, confident that she can cope with the exhausting, sleepless nights. ‘As the eldest of four children, I was Mummy’s little helper with my brothers.

‘I have spent my whole career ­working with children. I’m sure the next few years will be jolly difficult at times, but rewarding and ­enjoyable too.

‘For now, I’m just looking forward to meeting my babies.’



Source:Dailymail

'See what people will do for a Hublot?' Bernie Ecclestone poses in advert for watch brand after he was mugged for his £200,000 timepiece

By Daily Mail Reporter



Shock tactics: Bernie Ecclestone has turned his recent mugging into a money-making opportunity


Trust Bernie Ecclestone to manage to turn a mugging into a money-making opportunity.

The Formula One boss, who is worth an estimated £2billion, was attacked by four men outside his office in Central London last month.

But even before he'd had his four stitches removed, Mr Ecclestone contacted Formula One's official watchmaker, Hublot, and suggested they used pictures of his battered face as part of an adverting campaign.


'I rang them up and suggested this was a chance to do something different,' said Mr Ecclestone.

'I can understand people wanting to rob me when they are poor and they want some things for the kids with Christmas coming along, but what they did was unnecessary.'

Using the tag line 'See what people will do for a Hublot,' the advert shows the injury done to Mr Ecclestone during the attack and a large picture of a watch similar to the personalised one, worth £200,000, that was stolen from him.


Still sporting a shiner: Ecclestone soon after the attack and still showing the scars in Liverpool on Sunday


The poster also, perhaps unnecessarily, emphasises that 'Hublot condemns all forms of violence and racism.'

During the attack, the four muggers also stole jewellery from Fabiana Flosi, Mr Ecclestone's partner while kicking him to the ground.

The hard-working 80-year-old was back in the office less than 48 hours later



Source:Dailymail

Wife of Britain's oldest father of twins is £7,000 benefits cheat... and now she is carrying the 72-year-old's 13th child

By Claire Ellicott



Lisa Roden, 26, received thousands of pounds of benefits after failing to tell authorities she had married her 72-year-old husband, Richard. Pictured with twins Ruby (left) and Emily


The 26-year-old wife of Britain’s oldest father of twins has been exposed as a benefits cheat after failing to tell authorities she was no longer a single mother.

Lisa Roden, who is eight months pregnant with another child by her 72-year-old husband, falsely claimed £7,000 in council tax benefit and income support.

Her secret came to light following her wedding to Richard Roden in September last year, eight months after he had become the oldest man to father twins.


She overclaimed £6,901.58 between February 2009 and January this year.

At Walsall Magistrates’ Court on Monday she admitted two charges of failing to notify authorities of a change in circumstances.


The mother of three, from Walsall, said that when she married former welder Mr Roden in September 2009 she had sent letters to both authorities.

But these did not arrive and she claimed she had lost copies she had made of them.

Catherine McTighe, prosecuting, said: ‘She considered she had lived with Mr Roden since the twins were born.

‘This came to the attention of the national media on the first birthday of the twins.’

Roden, who also has a nine-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, had been paid the benefits as a single parent since 2002.

She told magistrates she had started to repay her council tax benefit to Walsall Council five months ago.

She was ordered to pay a £50 fine for each offence, £100 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Mr Roden – who is 46 years her senior and has been married three times – is set to become a father of 13 next month when his wife is due to give birth to another girl, whom they have already named Madison.

A grandfather of 36 and great-grandfather of nine, Mr Roden was 71 when the twins Ruby and Emily were born – 50 years after the birth of his first child.

Yesterday at their terrace house Roden insisted she was not a benefits cheat and was not trying to ‘fiddle the system’.


Another on the way: The couple with their twins Ruby and Emily


She said: ‘I tried to notify them to tell them I was married and to show our current situation but apparently they never received the letters or have a record of the phone calls I made.

'I tried to explain that it wasn’t my fault that these people had not received the letters.

‘But I lost the copies of the ones I made during a clear-out.

‘We’re not trying to fiddle the system whatsoever. It was just a mistake.’

She added: ‘I’m just happy I’m not going to prison because I have three young children and another on the way that I need to be here to take care of.’

Her husband added: ‘We are not cheats.

‘I’ve worked hard all my life and I’ve only ever needed help once in all my years.

‘Lisa is a good person – that is why I married her. She is not trying to beat the system.’

The couple managed to conceive their third daughter, who is due a day before the twins’ birthday on January 29, despite Mr Roden suffering from bladder cancer over the past year.


Mr and Mrs Roden with the twin girls and one of his other daughters, Bethany in October 2009


Roden, who is a full-time mother, insists it will be the couple’s last child.

They met while studying at an adult education college five years ago and became lovers a year later.

Mr Roden has ten other children from two previous marriages, of whom the eldest is 52

Despite his health problems, he said he was looking forward to the latest addition to his family.

‘I’m very excited,’ he said. ‘I was with Lisa all the way through the twins’ birth and I wanted to cut the cord but they wouldn’t let me.

‘I’m hoping they’ll let me cut the cord for Madison.’

He added: ‘I wouldn’t swap my little girls for the lottery.

‘The cancer made me poorly for a bit, but being around my girls picks me up.

‘They give me strength and I get so much pleasure out of watching them. At my age, they have put new life into me. It is not a hindrance, it is a joy.’


Source:Dailymail

Mother whose tumour meant she might never conceive splashes out on £30,000 to give baby designer lifestyle

By Arthur Martin



Happy holidays: Lisa Davis with her daughter Nicole Davis in her tailor made nursery and £500 worth of gifts she will be receiving for her first Christmas


Little Nicole Davis should, by rights, have a big smile on her face.

After all, her parents have spent more than £30,000 on lavish presents for their four-month-old daughter.

Her mother Lisa, 30, admits that she is addicted to spoiling Nicole after trying for six years for a baby with her husband David.


During her pregnancy the couple paid £6,000 for a designer nursery to be installed in their modest £150,000 three-bedroom semi.

They paid another £5,000 for a nursery for their holiday home in Florida and bought her a silver pram for £1,000. After Nicole’s birth, the heavy spending accelerated.

At £6,000, the baby’s christening which included a three course meal for 60 guests cost more than some weddings.

Nicole’s winter clothes collection is already worth £2,200 and still growing.

She sleeps in a £2,226 crib with carved cherubs on the headboard complete with £2,000 of bespoke bedding.


World of interiors: Lisa spent a total of £6,000 creating the nursery with many of the luxury items being shipped in from the U.S.


Her Christmas presents are already mounting up and they wildly outnumber those bought for other members of the family.

Indeed, such is her desire to spoil her daughter that Mrs Davis has already bought her a £6,000 diamond bracelet for her first birthday in July 2011.

Although Nicole now has far more clothes and toys than she needs Mrs Davis says she has no plans to stop spending.

‘I want her to have the best of everything,’ she said. ‘Some of my friends think I’m crazy because I spoil her so much but I don’t care.


Heirloom: Lisa had her own wedding dress cut up to make a christening gown for Nicole at the lavish ceremony


‘I don’t see myself cutting back on the spending - if she needs something I will have to get it for her.

‘I had spent so long planning and waiting to have a baby that I knew exactly what I wanted. I had a picture in my head of how I wanted her room to look - a coffee and cream theme nursery.’


In her nursery at the American holiday home, Nicole has a pink room with a brand new oak crib, a matching wardrobe and chest of drawers.

Every item in Nicole’s overflowing wardrobe is made by leading designers and her name is woven on almost every piece of clothing.

Mrs Davis, who lives with her husband, a property developer, in Winchester, said: ‘If I spend £200 on a pair of jeans I don’t see why I shouldn’t spend the same on Nicole. It’s important for her to look nice.

‘All of my family like to put effort into our appearance and make sure we look nice so we want the children to look nice too.

‘I think spending a lot of money on nice clothes shows how much you care about your child.
‘I can’t walk down the street without people stopping me and saying how beautiful Nicole is and how lovely her clothes are. I was quite spoilt as a child so I want her to experience that too.’

Mrs Davis said that one of the main reasons she spends so much on Nicole is because she believed she would never have a child.

After struggling to conceive, her GP discovered a benign tumour on her brain.
In April 2009, she underwent surgery to have the tumour removed, but there was no guarantee she would be able to have children.

But just six months after her operation Mrs Davis discovered she was pregnant and Nicole was born at the Portland hospital on July 22 weighing 8lbs.

She said: ‘I know some people might think I’m a bit mad, or over the top, but all my life I have dreamed of having a baby.

‘She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and has completed my life and brought so much happiness to my family.

‘I feel so lucky to have her, she is my dream come true, so nothing is too good for my little girl.’

Her husband David added: ‘I don’t really get involved with buying things for Nicole as Lisa enjoys doing all that.

‘I don’t mind how much she spends so long as she and Nicole are happy. That’s the most important thing to me.’



Source:Dailymail

Now THAT'S a VPL: The new XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL underwear for women with a 105in waistline (and they're flying off the shelves)

By Daily Mail Reporter



Supersize me: A model poses in he latest range of underwear by The Big Bloomers Company, made to fit 45stone women with a 74 dress size


A company which makes the world's biggest knickers has been forced to make even larger underwear - for women who are a size 74 with 105in waistlines.

The Big Bloomers Company was set up by mother and daughter Dianne and Laura Mannering earlier this year making underwear up to XXXXXXXXL for 35 stone women.

But they were inundated with calls from obese women around the world claiming they are too small.


So the pair have developed their latest range - which are a staggering XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL - to fit 45 stone women who have a 8.75ft waistline and a dress size of 74.

Women from New Zealand, France and Australia have already been clamouring for the items, which have been flying off the shelves since going on sale last week.


Made to measure: Since the launch last week, around 100 items have sold and New Zealand and Australia are the biggest takers


Dianne, 68, of Penryn, Cornwall said: 'We realised there was a woeful lack of selection and so decided to cater for much larger women, which proved very popular.

'But I have to admit I was very surprised when I started receiving phone calls asking for even bigger ones.

'We ship them around the world and, at the moment, New Zealand and Australia are the biggest takers.


Smalls: The pants worn in the film Bridget Jones are nothing compared to the Big Bloomers


'Our customers have been very enthusiastic and have given us help to tweak the design and make the knickers more accommodating.'

Retired insurance broker Dianne set up the Big Bloomers Company with daughter Laura, 46,in April after spotting the gap in the market.

Within weeks they were being contacted by customers begging them to make larger garments.

And now they have launched their 'super-super size' range and have already sold around 100 items since they went on sale last week.

The company, which sends a mail order catalogue to customers, also sells tights and gowns, which uses an incredible six metres of fabric.

For more details visit www.thebigbloomerscompany.co.uk


Source:Dailymail

They may have their own Stig, but Top Gear fans still left unimpressed with US version

By Jessica Satherley



Identical Stig: The US Stig makes his debut in the show's premiere on America's History channel and looks exactly the same as the UK Stig


The US version of Top Gear premiered on America’s History channel last night, but die-hard fans of the British show were left unimpressed.

The American version had all the components needed for the show, including an identical looking Stig and three presenters with a background in cars, speed and comedy, but viewers seemed to think it lacked the latter.

Instead of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, the US show is hosted by racing/stunt driver Tanner Foust, Speed Channel reporter Rutledge Wood and comedian/actor Adam Ferrara.


Lacking comedy: Viewers took to Twitter to add their critiques for the US version, saying the Stig lacked mystique and the presenters lacked humour


But viewers soon took to Twitter with their harsh comparisons, with one writing: ‘Top Gear US verdict: FAIL. Too scripted, no chemistry, not remotely funny, lacks flow.’ [sic]

Another tweeted: ‘Wasted an hour watching Top Gear US. Sucks compared to Top Gear UK.’

One fan wrote an online review saying: ‘I kept trying to figure out who the ‘Clarkson’ was – but I gave up. What’s the point? This is NOT Top Gear as Anglophiles know it.’

While the US Stig was described as lacking mystique and one tweeted: ‘Their Stig should have had a different name and the hosts suck.’

But producer John Hesling stands behind his casting decision of the three hosts and says he spent ‘a year or two’ searching for the perfect men to fill the roles.


US studio: Presenters Tanner Foust, Adam Ferrara and Rutledge Wood chatted in the studio to the live audience


Time trials: The three presenters did time trials in Lamborghinis around the track


‘They got on with each other very, very well. There’s that immediate kind of X
Factor. These guys seem to chat like they’ve known each other for a long, long time,’ he said.

And he added: ‘I don’t see why you’d want a group of sort of bad-teethed Brits coming and telling you about your own car culture.’

Buzz Aldrin was the first celebrity guest to star in the feature 'Big Star In A Small' car, and there was no expense spared with the stunts either in the debut episode.

The three presenters did time trials in Lamborghinis as well as being followed around the streets of a small town by a Cobra helicopter as they drove a Dodge Viper.

The History channel’s series is not the first time the US has tried to re-create Top Gear. In 2005 Discovery made a pilot and in 2008 NBC made another, but neither were broadcast as a series.

The British version of Top Gear is already a huge hit in America – in 2005 it won an Emmy Award – leaving many questioning why the US version was created.


The originals: Richard Hammond (left), Jeremy Clarkson and James May (right), present the original British version of Top Gear



source:dailymail

Prince William puts wedding thoughts to one side as he enjoys a day at the football cheering on Blackpool

By Georgina Littlejohn



Come on The Seasiders! Wedding thoughts to one side for the day, Prince William watches the Blackpool vs Wolverhampton Wanderers game with his friends


It's been a busy old week for Prince William since the announcement of his engagement to his long-term love Kate Middleton.

So what better way to unwind and put wedding thoughts briefly to one side than a day at the football with the lads.

The heir to the throne was snapped in the stands at the Bloomfield Road stadium today watching Blackpool take on Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Strange, some might think to see an Aston Villa fan sacrificing a precious footballing Saturday to watch another team.

But as the President of the Football Association, it is the Prince's duty to attend most Premiership matches, as well as those in the lower leagues.

It was the 28-year-old royal's first live game since becoming an engaged man, and despite being surrounded by his friends, his betrothed grin was all too clear to see.


Who's starting today then? William checks the club programme


Ooh, is that me? William looks up at the big screens in the stadium


Sporting a green baseball cap, he sat in the club's private box and watched the northern England team take on their West Midlands rivals.

There was no sign of his bride-to-be, suggesting that this was purely a lads day out, although it's not clear why William attended that particular game.

William was made President of the FA in 2006 and this weekend it was announced that he will play a key role during the final stages of England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


That was close! William looks on in disbelief as his friends hold their heads in shock at an exciting moment in the game


He will join Prime Minister David Cameron and footballer David Beckham and travel to Geneva on December 2 to hear FIFA's decision about who will host the tournament in eight years time.

William announced his engagement to Middleton, 28, last week, with the wedding expected to take place at Westminster Abbey nexy summer.


The happy couple: Kate and William pose for the cameras in their first official photo as an engaged couple



Source:Dailymail

The engagement that almost never was: Wills didn't realise what he had until he almost let her go...

By Geoffrey Levy


For some it is fate, for others, chance. Anyone who has experienced a lengthy courtship will understand how easy it is, in moments of uncertainty, to walk away.


In just such a moment, Kate could have lost her prince. That she and William loved each other was never questioned. They ‘fitted’ so well, friends said.

But three years ago, when William was hit by doubts and they split for three months, the story of their relationship could easily have ended very differently.

It is intriguing that Kate had the strength of character to win back her prince by doing all the things that his circle had urged her not to do.

She went out partying in thigh-skimming skirts; she went roller-skating (and was photographed spreadeagled on the floor after falling over in a most unladylike ­fashion).

In fact, she and her sister Pippa partied so hard they were nicknamed the ‘Sizzler sisters’. In the wake of this, the Queen was privately said to consider Kate Middleton ‘something of a show-off’ and courtiers were ‘appalled’ at such a display.

So, what was Kate up to? She was taking the biggest gamble of her life. Weeks before, she had asked William for reassurance that she was the only woman in his life — particularly since he had been photographed in a nightclub with his arm around a pretty young woman, his hand apparently cupping her right breast.

‘She felt that William was making her look a fool,’ recalls one of her oldest friends. ‘What she wanted was a clarification of where she stood, and what was going on.

'She wasn’t looking for an engagement ring, she just wanted to know that he was committed to her, and only to her.’

Faced with what he saw as demand for his long-term commitment, especially his fidelity, the 6ft 3in Prince declined to give in. And on that sad and uneasy note, the romance was terminated

Kate could have slipped away into oblivion, but instead she risked her reputation for quiet modesty in order to show William just what he was missing.

It wasn’t easy. The first thing William did after their separation was to rush off with friends to the Mahiki nightclub in London’s West End, leap on a table and cry: ‘I’m free.’

But like so many young men who never know quite what they want until they no longer have it, he rapidly began to realise just how much he missed Kate.


Drifting apart? A chill in the air at the Cheltenham races in 2007, and right, Kate and William celebrating his 26th birthday in 2008


To make matters worse, there she was, appearing in photographs looking slim and stunning, apparently enjoying life without him. She wasn’t, of course — in fact, she was devastated by the end of their romance — but she was ­playing a blinder.

After three months apart, she got an unexpected invitation from William to join him at a fancy dress party at his Army barracks at Bovington in Dorset. It was June 2007, and they never parted again.

Yesterday, at last, no one was calling Kate Middleton ‘Waity Katie’. In fact, from now on she wants to be known as Catherine, the name she has always asked her friends to use.

A ring is finally on the finger of the middle-class girl from the Home Counties — that beguiling beauty with long, dark hair who was first seen kissing William in the Sea Life Centre in St Andrews early in 2003.

It soon emerged that she was the girl who had earlier ‘brought his eyes out on sticks’ when she ­sauntered down the catwalk at a charity fashion show in a diaphanous dress which left little to the imagination. ‘Wow!’ William ­whispered to his friend Fergus Boyd. ‘Kate’s hot.’


Their romance was initially seen as one of those liaisons that princes have before a girl from the ‘right kind of family’ comes along a bit later in life for them to marry.

But it wasn’t like that. Kate was different. She was cool and intelligent and, most significantly, she didn’t treat him with the deference he often encountered.

William was 21 and — although he was tall, broad-­shouldered and handsome — he had sown remarkably few wild oats. Indeed, this lack of experience — so different from his father, who had many girlfriends in his 20s — is what has always worried royal courtiers.

Some remain uneasy about the possibility of William sowing those wild oats in later years.

But right from the start, the Prince has enjoyed having such an attractive woman on his arm. And Kate has been happy to play a quiet supporting role — albeit too quiet for many who have questioned her ‘enthusiasm’ for public life.

Still, back in 2003 few would have predicted that theirs would be a long-term romance.

But almost from the start, Kate was more than just a girlfriend. With astonishing speed, William took her home for the weekend to Highgrove and introduced her to his father, Prince Charles


She met his friends skiing at Klosters, he took her (aptly enough) to the Middleton Hunt in Yorkshire and soon, with two other St Andrews students, they were sharing a house at university.

Although many doubted the romance, it must be said that Prince Charles was instantly comfortable in Kate’s company, noting that one of her most attractive features was that she was not given to bowing and scraping.

Yes, jibes pursued her family over their social background, especially the one that said her mother, former air stewardess Carole Middleton, had dispatched her to St Andrews just because she knew the Prince was going there.

Friends have always laughed this off, but it hurt the family, as did the smirking ‘doors-to-manual’ mockery of Mrs Middleton’s former career as an air hostess.

Well, whoever those cruel so-called jokers were, they’re not smirking now. In fact, far from giving William doubts, the taunts brought him closer to Kate. They encouraged his characteristic support for the underdog, a trait that so defined his mother Princess Diana.

Until their split in 2007, Kate was herself disturbed by the things she knew people were saying, not so much for herself but for her family. But after their reunion later that year, a friend says, ‘she was much calmer about it, and so were Mr and Mrs Middleton’



By then, Kate was regularly staying with William at Clarence House, where he has his own flat. At the same time, she ­continued to live at her parents’ home in the Berkshire village of Bucklebury, in the same bedroom she’d had since she was 14.

Kate remained the classically middle-class (and middle-brow) girl she’d been when she went up to St Andrews. According to friends, she has scarcely changed despite the new world into which the future King has introduced her.

All his friends have become her friends, though Kate herself has never collected many close personal confidantes of her own. ‘They like Kate because she’s always herself,’ says a friend of the Royal Family.

‘She’s cool and decisive and is never scared of telling William he’s wrong if she thinks he is. He loves that air of independence she gives out — so very different from the girl that people think has done nothing but wait for the phone to ring with him on the other end.’

And ever since Prince William was posted to Wales as a search and rescue helicopter pilot with the RAF, Kate has quietly been spending weekends with him at the remote farmhouse he has rented near the base, RAF Valley in Anglesey.

Apart from his police bodyguard, they live like any other service couple, making themselves as unobtrusive as possible and shopping in the local Tesco.

True, Kate Middleton never had much of a career. She was briefly a buyer for the fashion chain Jigsaw, owned by friends of her family, and most recently she has been acting as the Party Pieces photographer, taking pictures of items for the website.
Just a few months ago, photos of her and William frolicking in the alpine snow emerged. One of the pictures showed them on a snowmobile, with her clinging on to him.
Well, we know now that he was clinging on to her just as hard. As for that career she never fashioned for herself — one is certainly being fashioned for her now






source: dailymail

How I'd dress Kate, by the designer of Diana's gown: No frills and flounces this time - I'd keep it elegant and simple

By Elizabeth Emanuel



Slim-line beauty: Elizabeth Emanuel's vision for Kate's big day


When I heard that Prince ­William had ­proposed to Kate Middleton, I thought it was absolutely fantastic news — just what the country needs to cheer us all up after all the doom and gloom.

The fact he’s given Kate his mother’s engagement ring gave me goose ­pimples. It’s going to be so romantic.

Naturally, I was cast back instantly to the day 30 years ago when my now former husband David and I were asked to design Diana’s gown and the huge responsibility we felt to create something truly special.

It was such a lot of pressure — ­especially as David and I were fairly new designers.
As she got engaged in October, I’d be very surprised if she doesn’t know already who is designing the dress.

As the wedding is in spring or ­summer, many people might think that’s not enough time. But we took only three months to make Diana’s, with just three people working on it, so Kate doesn’t need to panic — she has plenty of time.

The first thing her designer must remember is that though they are ­creating something that will be seen by ­millions, there is only one person who needs to be happy with it: Kate



I’d advise them to go through lots of design and history books to come up with plenty of ideas. It may not be what the public is expecting, but sometimes it’s good to think outside the box.

With Diana, the first thing we did was try on lots of different styles. It’s imperative to be able to see how you suit ­different silhouettes and I hope that Kate does the same.

We settled on a design with a tiny waist and big skirt, but all brides must get a feel of what she’s comfortable in.

I imagine Kate will steer well clear of a big, bouffant dress. Diana’s was all frill and flounce, and while it was ­absolutely perfect for the Eighties, it wouldn’t be suitable now.

Back then, it was all about wild romance, and every bride’s dream was to wear something frothy.

My design for Kate’s dress is simple with a layer of complexity. I’d make it in an off-white silk — I hardly ever use bright white because I think it’s unflattering — in a moss crepe that has a heavy drape when cut on the bias.

I’ve not seen crepe used often in bridal wear — most brides stick to ­taffeta or satin — but crepe creates a flattering, slim-line silhouette.

I wouldn’t give her sleeves, but I’d put a silk organza drape over the ­shoulders to keep her sufficiently ­covered over the top half. I would apply a lace applique over the drape to make it more detailed.

Then I think it would be lovely to include a beautiful brooch, perhaps something from the Royal Family’s ­collection.

Kate could add a personal touch by having something dear to her, such as a name or favourite flower, embroidered into the lace.

Everyone remembers the aerial shot of Diana walking down the aisle with that 25ft train behind her.

I don’t think Kate’s dress would be a crazy length like Diana’s.

But then again, if she is getting ­married somewhere like St Paul’s Cathedral, then maybe we would make it a bit longer.

The train I have designed for her is detachable and falls from the hips, and would be covered in a cascade of lace mounted on tulle to give it a bit of body.

I’d take the scallops off the edge of the lace and put them on the edge of the shoulders so there are no straight edges, in order to keep the wistful, romantic feel.

Right now, the chosen designer will feel the pressure of the world on their shoulders, but they must keep calm and focus on Kate.

When we were designing Diana’s dress, we thought there would be a lot of protocol, but there wasn’t.

We were left completely on our own. It was lockdown — we had to have blinds up at the windows and we had two security guards called Jim and Bert at night.

I don’t think the Palace realised what a big deal it was going to be. They were unprepared for the level of interest.

Any designer would love to design for a royal wedding, and David and I were very lucky.

Kate’s designer will have a few sleepless nights from now until the wedding, but my advice is to enjoy it — it will be magical.





source:dailymail