There’s an interesting little piece on Smaggle Style about the signals the Queen uses to her staff and friends. I’ve not seen them published before.

You can read it here.

Remember those early post-uni days when Kate Middleton set out to create her own mail order children’s clothing line?

She was said to have spent many hours and much money travelling to Milan, and other centres of fashion, sourcing fabrics and ideas for her merchandise. Not surprisingly perhaps, she ran out of money before the business started up. There were even security fears about the level of personal information needed to set up a company — although nominee directors might have got around that one. The project was eventually dropped.

Now her potential cousin-in-law Princess Beatrice is said to be working on her own clothing line, and has even started to sketch ideas for her first collection.

Of course, if Bea’s idea is to challenge model and now fashion designer Kate Moss for the Top Spot, it may be more difficult than it seems, for Bea lacks Moss’s “edgeiness” and “cool” credentials. So far her fashion sense has been more derided than praised. Her mother, Fergie, Duchess of York, is a well-established fashion disaster zone.

However, friends are rallying round. “It was Beatrice’s idea. She has always loved clothes and has an innate sense of style. She has said she is going to start up her own line of clothing and plans to call it Bobcat. She’s creating the label with one of her girlfriends. She has lots of ideas for her first collection although she hasn’t made a garment yet.”

The friend added, “She is quite reserved with what she wears. But she has a sophisticated sense of style and a knack of knowing how to accessorise her clothes. She’s always up to speed with the latest trends.”

Maybe Kate Middelton and Bea can get together on a joint children and adult clothing line.

Bibcat, perhaps?