Happy one-week anniversary, Will and Kate! Our gift to you—the straightening-out of a particularly persistent rumor. So let's get to it…
Every future queen—even one who does her own grocery shopping—needs a lady-in-waiting. And for Kate Middleton, it's a matter of when, not if. And most importantly, who.
The front-runner has always been her sister Pippa Middleton, and what with some serious travel on the horizon, the media seems to be in a bit of a rush to lock down the role.
So they've cut out the middle man woman and taken it upon themselves to give the Pipster the gig. But while it's likely, is it true? Did Kate select her kid sis as her lady-in-waiting? Grab your fascinators and your knockoff wedding gowns. This rumor is…
So false!
And one must be getting serious displeased at these rumors.
First things first, though: A lady-in-waiting is more than merely a personal assistant, but a hand-picked confidante who will accompany the duchess on all her official royal business.
Despite reports that Catherine has selected Philippa (pinkies up, everyone) to begin serving as her lady-in-waiting, a spokesman for the newlywed royals denies that such a decision has been made—mainly because no such offer has been extended…to anyone.
"No, Pippa is not the duchess's lady-in-waiting," spokesman Nick Loughran told E! News.
"The Duchess of Cambridge has not take on any extra staff and will continue to use the same staff who already care for Prince William and Prince Harry's household."
One look at her pushing her shopping cart down the aisle in an Anglesey grocery store prove that.
So where did this rumor start? Well, let's just say it doesn't take much to be labeled a royal expert these days.
Just one week ago, the eyes of the world descended on Westminster Abbey for the royal nuptials. While the spectacle was, well, spectacular, there were a few lulls in the coverage—which resulted in a wave of uninformed pundits with more hours of television to fill than they had legit royal facts. Pippa as lady-in-waiting? Sure, why not report it!
Other than the fact that it isn't true. At least, not yet—and maybe not for quite some time.
While Princess Diana chose her sister as her lady-in-waiting, she didn't do so until years into her marriage. In the beginning, she plumped for a lady much more steeped in royal protocol, something Kate may also choose to do.
In fact, giving Pippa a run for her money is Helen Asprey, an assistant in the offices of Prince William and Harry, who was on hand for all the milestone appearances in the run-up to the couple's wedding, and who was of much help to Kate over the past few months.
—Reporting by Ashley Fultz