In really posh British houses, there are no such things as antiques, just very, very old pieces of furniture (hence the old British insult that the nouveau riche are people who buy their own furniture).

So what could be a more splendid statement of one's aristocratic lineage than bedding down at night in a bed which has been in the family for over 400 years?

John Berkeley, 81, and his wife Georgina, 73, still spend their nights slumbering in this splendid four poster bed at Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, located in the Great State Bedroom.

Seems Pippa is spoken for at last. And of course, it was on the ski slopes that the new royal romance was made public.

William and Kate were only confirmed as a couple when they were spotted kissing between runs, Harry and Cressida outed themselves with an Alpine snuggle a few weeks ago and now 29-year-old Pippa has become the latest of the young royal set to publicly smooch in the snow.

Pippa was photographed publicly kissing - and although there don't seem to be tongues in the pics published by E! today there is no doubt that they are really kissing - and cuddling her new boyfriend, Nico Jackson after taking part in the Engadine Ski Marathon, a gruelling annual cross country ski race over 45km.

The death of Princess Lilian of Sweden yesterday brings to a close one of the most extraordinary love stories of modern times.

Princess Lilian was born Lilian Davies in Swansea, Wales, in August 1915 and moved to London aged 16 to follow a modelling career. She was married to actor Ivan Craig when she met Prince Bertil of Sweden in London in 1943.

According to this excellent obituary in The Telegraph, the meeting was placed variously in a nightclub, a birthday party and, in the most romantic variation, on the London Underground subway system.

Marriage between Bertil, a noted playboy, and Lilian was not permitted owing to the strict rules of the Swedish royal house which stated that any royal who married a commoner renounced their rights to the throne, effectively dropping out of royal life.

James Middleton is not gay.

The confirmation of master Middleton's sexuality is provided by a close friend 'authorised' to speak to the Daily Mail over the weekend on the subject of his pal's persuasion.

James has been the subject of much unfounded specualtion that he is gay, largely because of a few youthful photos of him horsing around naked with some pals which were posted on facebook and subsequently found their way into the press.

The 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. The truth is that dressing up in drag and pretending to be gay have been part of posh male British horseplay for centuries. A clear line 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.

Just as the Hilary Mantel row appeared to be subsiding, more abuse for Kate Middleton, this time from the celebrated BBC wit Sandi Toksvig:

"Kate Middleton is not enough for me," she tells the Observer, "We used to admire women who got their place in life through marriage and having children, but I like to think we've grown up a bit. I can't think of a single opinion she holds – it's very Jane Austen."

Stop ordering pink stuff for Kate Middleton.

New video footage of the moment Kate allegedly said, "Oh is that for our d..." tells a different story.

In newly released video shot by well-wisher Lisa Hewson, Kate is heard to say, "Is this for us, awww," when given the soft toy 'for the baby' by wellwisher Diana Burton.

Wolf Hall writer Hilary Mantel has defended a lecture she gave in which she described Kate Middleton as a 'Plastic princess", a"jointed doll" and a "painfully thin shop-window mannequin" with 'dead eyes" whose only purpose was to breed.

She told a late-night BBC radio program: "I have absolutely nothing to apologise for".

The author said: "My lecture and the subsequent essay was actually supportive of the Royal Family and when I used those words about the Duchess of Cambridge, I was describing the perception of her which has been set up in the tabloid press.

Prince Harry has frequently invoked his mother's memory in his public speeches - most recently he said he hoped Diana would be 'proud of' him for a project he is working on with his charity Sentebale in Lesotho, and speculated she may be drawing up plans for the playground in heaven - and now he has strengthened his links with Halo Trust, the anti-landmine charity famously backed by Diana.

The prince, 28, is to become patron of the HALO Trust’s 25th anniversary appeal to help it raise funds to continue its work clearing minefields in Afghanistan and other countries.

Harry has been involved with HALO (Hazardous Areas Life-support Organisation) for several years and in 2010 visited minefields in Mozambique to meet amputees and see the effect landmines have on some of the world’s poorest people.

Remebr when a comedian dressed as osama Bin Laden mangaed to get into Prince William's 21st birthday?

Well, the senior British Policeman responsible for overseeing the enquiry into that particular breach of security a decade ago has now been arrested as part of Operation Elveden –  the police operation set up to investigate bribes paid to police officers and other public officials - over allegedly leaking information to a journalist.

The Mail is reporting that Frank Armstrong, 52, until recently the £130,000-a-year second in charge of City of London Police, is the first chief officer to be arrested by Elveden.

Last night the police watchdog stressed that ‘at this stage’, no money is alleged to have changed hands between him and the reporter.

A stonkingly good review for Helen Mirren's new portrayal of the Queen from The Telegraph's theatre critic Charles Spencer on the stage in London.

The play, called, "The Audience"  is based on the weekly meetings that the Queen holds with her Prime Minsters, and which have taken place throughout her long reign. Although no minutes are taken at these meetings and the discussions are totally private, details have leaked out over the years.

Spencer writes: "The play begins with John Major in meltdown about the way his Government is tearing itself apart, then moves back to Churchill then forward to Wilson and so it goes on.

It's a girl!

At least that's what one well-wisher who met Kate Middleton as she went walkabout today thinks.

According to ITV Royal news producer Georgina Brewer, on a walkabout at a fishing heritage center Tuesday in Grimsby, her first engagement, Kate was given a teddy by well-wisher Sandra Cook, 67.

Kate Middleton  did a successful job of hiding her baby bump on a mini-tour of the industrial town of Grimsby today, wearing a thick brown coat from British high street brand Hobbs.

But it wasn't enough to deter questions about her pregnancy from locals. She told one well-wisher who asked that her baby had been kicking "very much".

She arrived in the town two hours late after her helicopter was delayed by fog. The palace defended the decision to use the £4,000-a-ride chopper after suggestions were made it would have been better for Kate to take the train.

In another interaction with locals, an elderly care home patient told Kate she was waiting for her to become Queen, prompting Kate to reply, "You might be waiting a long time."

Wonder how she handles random people putting their hands on her belly?

This past weekend, Kate Middleton jetted to the Swiss Alps with Prince William and Prince Harry to attend a friend’s wedding, and although the Duchess didn’t hit the slopes, she substituted her signature L.K. Bennett pumps for a more appropriate piece of cold weather footwear: mukluks.

The mother-to-be strapped on the fur-lined boots, usually made from animal skin and worn by Eskimos, for a walk through the snow at the luxury Arosa ski resort, where the trio was staying. Huffington Post is reporting that Kate’s boots are the Giada Ecol by Italian brand Oscar Sport.

Curiously, Prince Harry bought new girlfriend Cressida Bonas a similar pair last week, so we’re officially thinking mukluks are a royal trend.

The Queen has just left hospital, which means that Britains tallest cop, Anthony Wallyn, 26, left, who stands at 7ft 2ins, can get back to his usual routine.