There are more signs of strain between the Royal Family and the Middletons this weekend.

It’s been reported that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie refused to make space in the front row of a fashion show for Pippa Middleton, Kate’s younger sister. After some embarrassment, she found a seat elsewhere.

It seems that Kate didn’t invite Beatrice to her midnight roller-skating event two weeks ago. Nevertheless, the Princess turned up only to find herself inappropriately dressed.

We also learn that Prince William will be required to spend six years on active service in the RAF following 18 months of training. That adds up to a formidable seven-and-a-half year spell in various inhospitable regions a long way from London.

A chorus of friends and insiders are now claiming that a marriage between William and Kate is off the schedule for at least that length of time.

As Royal Anecdotes suggested immediately after the announcement of William’s decision, a marriage must now be in serious doubt. Extensive preparations by the Palace for a 2009 wedding are said to have been shelved.

As I wrote at the time, all the psychology of this decision fits in with the classic Bolting Bloke Syndrome (our name). He has been with her for so long they’ve become comfortable with each other, but the spark is gone. It’s no longer interesting enough to go the last mile to marriage.

By signing up for a lengthy military service, he creates a wide gap of both time and space between them in the hope the relationship will wither on the vine and fade in the minds of the general public.

The thought may occur that an engagement could still happen at Christmas, as was previously pencilled in, leading to a wedding in the summer. However, would Kate — who enjoys London nightlife — be prepared to live as a service wife in remote parts of Scotland or Wales for seven years, with William out on active duty or standby for much of the time? She would be 35 when he is released.

Again, the psychology says not.

In our view, Prince William has made the decision to move on. It was the only explanation for his announcement, which took everyone at the Palace and Clarence House by surprise.

Kate should move swiftly to shore up her reputation by indicating the relationship is over. Hanging on to an occasional friendship while becoming a laughing stock among her peers, and her gloating enemies, is the worst possible outcome for her.

I believe a wedding was definitely on, and being actively planned for. In the end, William couldn’t bring himself go through with it, but couldn’t end it either. He felt boxed in and made his escape in a helicopter.

Last week Kate was seen out with her first serious boyfriend, a chap who slightly resembles Prince William. He may now be the closest she gets to her Prince.

Clarence House has announced a “star-studded comedy gala to celebrate The Prince of Wales’s 60th birthday.”

I’m not sure how many parties that is now — at least three by my erratic counting.

The press release says it all:

“Comedy greats will help to celebrate The Prince of Wales’s 60th birthday this year with a special one-off comedy show in aid of His Royal Highness’s youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

“The show, called We Are Most Amused, will have a unique line-up with stars such as Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese and Robin Williams on stage together for one night only on Wednesday 12th November.

“The Prince of Wales, who is a keen fan of comedy, will attend the show with his wife The Duchess of Cornwall at the New Wimbledon Theatre.

“Their Royal Highnesses will be treated to a mix of live stand-up and comedy sketches from the world’s greatest comedians to raise money for, and awareness of, the work of The Prince’s Trust which helps to provide opportunities for disadvantaged young people in the UK.

“For the first time in over 25 years, stand-up comedy legend and Hollywood star Robin Williams will perform on a UK stage. Monty Python founder and comic genius John Cleese has promised something extra special in honour of The Prince’s birthday and after a long stint on the small and silver screens, British comedy great Rowan Atkinson will return to the live stage.

“The line-up will bring together the very best in comedy talent – from much-loved established names to fresh young acts from the stand-up circuit – a combination which will appeal to all ages and, above all, to comedy fan and guest of honour The Prince of Wales.

“With further acts to be announced, We Are Most Amused promises to be a night to remember and will be screened on ITV1 shortly after the live event.

“We Are Most Amused will take place on Wednesday 12th November 2008. Tickets will go on sale at 10.30am on Wednesday 1st October and prices range from £25 to £100. To purchase tickets either call 0870 060 6646, go online at www.newwimbledontheatre.co.uk or visit the New Wimbledon Theatre Box Office in person.”

It sounds like great fun, if you like that sort of thing.

Not to be outdone by the Brown government’s refusal to foot the bill for essential Palace maintenance, the Queen has used her personal funds to purchase a new aircraft for her own use and that of her Family.

Although a more Monarchy-friendly administration is due to take power in a year or so, many of us had hoped the Queen would become more proactive in her own interests. This is now beginning to take shape.

It’s also been announced that a new gym is being built in Buckingham Palace for the 450 staff who work there.

It will be fitted out with top-of-the-range equipment and a personal trainer. The facility will be situated in the Royal Mews and funded by the Royal Lifestyle Committee with generous help from HM herself.

A Royal source commented, “Research into the issue was conducted by the Lifestyle Committee recently and they discovered that all the top FTSE 100 companies provided gyms for their employees.”

The source added, “The Queen prides herself on being a top-class employer and with more than 450 staff on her books needs to offer them the kind of perks they would find at other large companies. The Queen is probably the best proponent of a healthy lifestyle you can find and she is confident that the gym will be well used — although probably not by herself.”

It’s good to see the Monarchy fashioning itself as a modern employer and adopting the best business practices.

The fact that taxpayer funds are not being used highlights the distressed state of the public finances.

The Queen’s Private Secretary has requested (”commanded” in the old parlance) a visit to Google’s London offices sometime in October.

HM particularly wants to meet the team that created a Royal Channel for her on YouTube, which is now owned by Google.

Staff say the Queen learned to use computers only two years ago to be able to email her grandchildren. She has also mastered the art of texting on her mobile phone and regularly keeps in touch with Prince William, Harry and Zara.

It’s believed Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie taught her how to use YouTube and Facebook and may even have suggested the Royal Channel idea.

Her Majesty is said to surf the internet a lot, and probably likes to see what people are writing or saying about her and her family.

I would think it more than likely that she reads Royal Anecdotes occasionally as we are often in the top four or five results in Google searches for Royal terms.

It would be good to know that HM approves of our combined efforts and, who knows, might even post a comment one day.

Sometimes getting hold of authentic Royal info can be as difficult as tickling for trout in a chalk stream in full spate. Any inside information would be most welcome.