Bear with me on this one. I’m not a natural teddy bear type, unlike our bare bear expert — believe it or not we have one — Adelle Tilton over in Nebraska, from where she authors our Bears and Dolls blog.

Windsor Bear is specially made by Steiff, the inventors of the modern teddy, for the Queen’s 80th birthday. It is a special edition and likely to rise in value over the years, so get your order in quickly — if you really need one.

The blurb says: “Windsor is hand-made from the finest golden-brown mohair [don't you just envy him?] and wears the famous Steiff button in his ear [perhaps not].”

The bear costs £185 ($340) direct from Danbury Mint, Cox Lane, Chessington, Surrey, KT9 1SE. Tel: [+44] (0)870 112 3711.

If you’re ooohing and aaahing, you definitely need one of these.

There’s a funny piece in The Times (London) today about what a close encounter with Royalty can do to your prejudices. Xanadu is a freelance journalist who doesn’t go much on the Royal family. But when she bumps into Prince William and Kate Middleton, it’s an entirely different matter …

“Last week, for the first time in my whole life, however, I felt that shuzzy zingy feeling known as Royal Influenza. I had an invitation for dinner and later a spot of dancing at a popular night spot. The host had placed me between two incredibly attractive Argentinean polo players [... ]

“[Later] I found myself elbowing past the lanky Prince William and lovely Kate Middleton snogging and jigging away on the dance floor. I nearly fainted, but instead just stared … and stared. I kept repositioning myself around the dance floor gazing at them from different angles. I had to restrain myself from going up to him and giving him a good snog myself, but there were too many threatening bodyguards reading my mind out of the shadows. It would be such a great story to tell the mythical grandchildren. ‘Yes children I snogged the King of England.’ I just wasn’t in the mood to be thrown in the slammer that night.

“For days afterwards it has haunted me. And now all I can do is wish that I was Kate Middleton, a nobody, snatched up by a real gorgeous Prince. It is a fairytale. I do begin to wonder when my prince will come…”

Read the rest of this article.

When your life changes as radically as Kate Middleton’s has since becoming “a permanent feature of Prince William’s life”, you must expect a few hiccups along the way.

It seems Kate has encountered a problem setting up her own clothing line. A friend has said that forming a company means disclosing a lot of private details which end up in the public domain. This could obviously result in an increased security risk. “But she is working it out.”

Teapot Cottage before restoration.

It’s emerging that Prince William and Kate Middleton will spend their summer holiday at newly renovated Tea Pot Cottage on the Balmoral Estate.

The property has been extensively refurbished, including a bathtub for two. Plenty to do, then.

Sarah Goodall (pictured), a former secretary in Prince Charles’s office, is threatening to publish a first-hand account of various events she witnessed including, the break-up of his marriage to Diana and his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.

Her 320-page book, The Palace Diaries: The True Story of Life Behind The Palace Gates, is to be published in September by Mainstream, an Edinburgh-based publisher, priced at £12.99 ($24). The title is already being heavily promoted with chain booksellers and on Amazon.

In the book, the author claims that Camilla targeted her as being “too close” to the Prince and identified her as a threat who “had to go”.

Clarence House sources say that she may have to fight it out in court as the Prince is preparing to injunct its publication.The Daily Mail reveals that Royal solicitors Harbottle and Lewis have demanded that the publishers hand over a copy of the book before publication.

“She is also planning to talk in depth about the ‘Rasputin-like’ hold that Charles’s former valet, Michael Fawcett, still has on him and highlights the ‘frigid’ relationship that he has with his father, the Duke of Edinburgh.”

A source said, “The Prince’s lawyers are looking into the possibility of legal action at the moment and have asked to see a copy of the book to see how damaging it is before they consider sending the big guns in.”

“Sarah [Goodall] signed several confidentiality agreements during her employment so they are very keen to see what she has written. An injunction is not out of the question.”

Mainstream has refused to comment, but said: “We aren’t going to go quietly. We will still intend to have a number of overseas editions of the book printed. It will be just like Spycatcher.”

The Mail reports: “She was even awarded an MVO (Member of the Victorian Order) for her loyalty and discretion.”