In an article in today’s Mail on Sunday, Katie Nicholl reports that friends of Prince William and Kate Middleton believe that an engagement announcement is planned for “just before or just after Christmas,” and that a wedding could be in May or June.

If an earlier story is true that Kate will not be at Sandringham until Boxing Day (December 26), it will clearly be just after, which seems like perfect timing to catch the world’s headlines.

The article, however, maintains the Mail’s new policy of acknowledging the Kate-hating crowd of spitting and cursing opponents of her match with the world’s most eligible batchelor. A section of the piece reprints some of the vituperative comments from the paper’s website.

A careful reading of the article reveals it’s in two parts. The first reflecting opinions of some Buckingham Palace courtiers, while the second part concentrates on the view from Clarence House.

These two courts have been at loggerheads with each other since the days of Diana, Princess of Wales. It seems the dogs of war have been unleashed again on the subject of the entirely innocent and inexperienced figure of Kate Middleton.

As Royal Anecdotes reported some months ago, there appears to be a growing faction of “courtiers” at the Palace who oppose the wedding of the two young people. They freely quote the Queen as insisting Kate should get a job and that “she’s not proactive enough.”

I believe there may be some noises of disquiet, particularly from Prince Philip, at the lack of a firm decision on this match. One can imagine him stating that Kate really should be doing something else while she waits. The aim, though, may be to prompt William into “marrying the girl, or letting her go” — a statement attributed to Prince Philip two years ago.

The anti-Kate faction in the Palace has picked up on this theme and translated it as the Queen’s wish that Kate “got a job.” This then becomes “work for a charity.” Have they forgotten that Kate was involved with a charity cross-Channel dragon-boat race last year but was asked to pull out for safety reasons by Clarence House? A dig at Prince Charles’s press team, perhaps?

The article ends with extensive quotes from the Clarence House viewpoint which show the truth at the heart of this story:

Despite this reluctance to co-operate with the Press, Kate’s friends say she has access to Press officers and senior aides at Clarence House, where she is free to come and go at her leisure.

“Kate has a hotline to Clarence House and she listens to everything the Royal aides tell her to do,” said a friend. “When they advised her to pull out of the cross-Channel dragon boat race last summer, she did it immediately. Kate is approached about doing lots of things but the Clarence House staff are often against her taking part because they think it’s too high-profile and they want to keep Kate out of the limelight. She’s in a bit of a Catch 22 situation.”

Royal Anecdotes believes that what is happening to Kate Middleton is very close to persecution. The wave of teenage angst she has had to face from many downmarket websites, including the Mail’s (which is moderated), is almost beyond belief since very few of the trolls will ever have met her. To quote the Kate-haters as proof of anything rational is tantamount to giving up on moderate and accurate journalism.

We’ve long stated that only a quick resolution by Prince William will spare his long-time girlfriend this avalanche of mindless criticism.

We are delighted that an announcement looks possible from Sandringham at Christmas.

There are reports that Kate Middleton has accepted a Palace invitation to spend part of the Christmas holidays at Sandringham with the Royal Family.

Clearly aware that this may be her last Christmas as a single girl, she has wisely opted to remain in the bosom of her family on Christmas Day, but will travel to Norfolk for the Boxing Day shoot.

Last year a similar situation arose but Kate chose to be in Scotland with her family for the festive season.

The ever-sensible Queen will no doubt approve of her priorities on this occasion. Reports of “snubs” to Her Majesty should be taken with a large dose of salts. Early provisional guest lists are not Royal Commands.

At 4.20 GMT Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, gave birth to a baby boy at Frimley Park Hospital.

Viscount Severn, as he will be known, weighed 6lb 2oz at birth and was delivered by Caesarean section. The baby is the Queen’s and the Duke of Edinburgh’s eighth grandchild.

After the problems Sophie had in the past, this birth seems to have gone as well as could be expected. Both parents are said “to be thrilled” by the event.

Royal Superlative is the first racehorse Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have owned together. They also bred the horse at the Royal Stud in Sandringham.

Royal Superlative at Sandringham

The magnificent bay filly certainly lives up to the superlative in her name. Camilla and Charles are hoping she will have a memorable career on the racetrack. The Royal couple will choose a trainer within days, and the filly should make her debut on the racetrack in the spring or summer.

Camilla is said to be “excited” by the challenge after visiting the horse at the Royal Stud at Sandringham on Thursday. It was Camilla who chose the name. However, staff at the Stud use her nickname of “Eve” or “Evey”, apparently after her dam, Supereva. Her sire is King’s Best, a talented stallion which won the 2000 Guineas seven years ago.

Charles and Camilla at Royal Ascot racecourse

It is believed they will register their new racing “silks” early in 2008 before Royal Superlative runs. The alternative is that the horse could run in the Queen’s famous mauve and turquoise colours.

The Telegraph mentions a third option which is for “the horse to run in the Duchess’s name in the brown and red colours of her late maternal grandfather, Roland Cubitt, the 3rd Baron Ashcombe, who owned many winning racehorses in the early and mid-1900s”.

Joe Grimwade, manger of the Royal Studs said, “The Duchess was kind enough to say that she is thrilled with the filly. The Duchess saw the filly in her box and watched her exercising. She has taken a great interest in the filly’s welfare because she is a real horsewoman.

“I think the Duchess — and the Prince too - just want to be involved in the joy of watching something grow from being a hairy little new-born to, hopefully, a successful racehorse on the track. That’s the buzz and the fact that they bred the horse too is an added attraction, because they have been involved in the whole process.This is the exciting stage for any owner. All of a sudden a previously immature individual starts to look like a proper racehorse. The initial target is just for Royal Superlative to be a winner.

“We have been absolutely delighted with the filly’s progress through the autumn. She has come through the whole backing process without any setbacks or problems. She is now at the stage where she is hack cantering in ridden work and we would expect her to go to a trainer early in the new year. She should be running in the summer.”

Here at Royal Anecdotes we will be watching the career of Royal Superlative with great interest.