British bookmakers William Hill this week slashed the odds on a Christmas engagement from 12/1 to 4/1 after Buckingham Palace announced that paparazzi photographers who intrude on the family's privacy could face legal action. Some Royal watchers claim that move is a sure sign Prince William will ask for his girlfriend's hand in marriage during the traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, the Queen's country estate in east England.
"A group of our customers (has) interpreted the queen's decision to crack down on the paparazzi as a clear sign that she expects extra activity over the Christmas period, which can only mean a royal engagement," says Rupert Adams, a spokesman for William Hill.
Michael Dunlea, AP
Bookies suspect a Christmas engagement for Britain's Prince William and his girlfriend, Kate Middleton.
It's thought that Prince William asked his grandmother to get tough with the press. Seemingly, he's determined to make sure that Middleton, 27, doesn't suffer the constant media harassment that dogged his mother Diana, Princess of Wales. Some members of the Royal family still blame press photographers for Princess Diana's death.
"I think William is behind this," Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of the magazine Majesty, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "I think he is setting some ground rules for his future with Kate."
This isn't the first time William has asked for the press to respect his girlfriend's privacy. The prince first voiced concern over coverage of his girlfriend in 2007, when Middleton was hounded by the paparazzi outside her home on her 25th birthday. That prompted William and his father, Prince Charles, to issue warnings to the media. Middleton's lawyers even threatened photographers with legal action.
But for the world's press, Middleton's almost-fairy-tale story will continue to be a source of constant fascination. Born into an ordinary middle-class family -- her mother is a former air hostess, her father an ex-pilot -- she first met the second in line to the throne in 2001, while the pair were studying art history at St. Andrews University in Scotland. They started dating two years later, and although Middleton doesn't hail from British aristocracy, royal watchers quickly took to the smart, stylish and discreet art history graduate.
They were shocked and disappointed when the apparently happy couple broke up in 2007. British tabloid The Sun said Middleton felt William didn't give her enough attention, and William reportedly thought he was too young to settle down. However, that split was only temporary, and their relationship was back on later that year.
While Prince William is now almost definitely off the market, would-be royal wooers still stand a chance with his single, hell-raising brother Prince Harry. William Hill spokesman Harris says the odds are 12/1 that the playboy prince will settle down next year. But, he adds, no customer has yet been brave enough to risk that bet.
