Kate (38 page)

Despite the intense heat, Kate displayed an abundance of energy and enthusiasm, her warm smile putting people at ease. In Kuala Lumpur, she delivered her debut overseas speech at the Hospis Malaysia with confidence, the audience moved by the heartfelt emotion of her words. Kate had been eager to use this occasion to direct the spotlight on the work of hospices, as she knew that with her profile, she could raise awareness globally.

It was while they were in Malaysia that a French magazine,
Closer
, made an audacious decision to publish a paparazzo's pictures of Kate sunbathing topless in the South of France. William and Kate had had no idea they had been photographed by a long lens, and because of the time differences,
by the time they woke on the other side of the world, the magazine was already being sold on newsstands in France, the pictures a global sensation. Briefed over breakfast by their private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, they were furious, finding the publication of such personal images devastating and the timing deeply embarrassing. The tour had been going so well, and to be thrust into the headlines in such a humiliating manner was extremely stressful.

Nevertheless, William and Kate continued with a visit to the Assyakirin Mosque, the largest in the country. In keeping with religious protocol, Kate covered up in a pale gray dress and wore a headscarf. Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton had advised them that the best policy was to smile and carry on with their work, and as they made their way to their next appointment—a visit to a public park to watch a cultural show—Kate smiled as she shook hands and accepted bouquets from wellwishers. It was only at the end of the day, according to aides on the tour, that they finally got to see the pictures and the salacious headline: “Oh my God! The photos that will go around the world.”

Aides in London were in talks with lawyers in Paris in a bid to get an injunction so that the pictures could not be reproduced, while the Palace announced it planned to take legal action against the photographer and the magazine at the behest of the couple. Back in Britain, newspaper editors unanimously agreed they would not publish the pictures, but this news in itself was a front-page story broadcast around the world. Later that afternoon, within minutes of leaving a tea party at the British High Commission, William instructed his aides to issue a statement condemning the magazine and the photographer that read, “Their Royal Highnesses have been
hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner. The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to the Duke and Duchess for being so.” Back in England, Prime Minister David Cameron denounced the magazine: “We echo the anger and sadness of the Palace. They are entitled to their privacy.”

The thorny ethics of privacy and the royal family were always a concern, but unfortunately for Kate and William, it was at this moment hugely topical. Several weeks earlier in August, Prince Harry had found himself in hot water after being photographed naked, cavorting with a young woman while playing a game of strip billiards with a group of friends. The image was leaked to the American gossip website TMZ, and within hours of being posted, the photograph had gone global, despite attempts by St. James's Palace to have it removed. The
Sun
later published the picture on its front page, despite a request not to do so from St. James's Palace via the Press Complaints Commission. Kate's situation, however, was perceived differently; people took a less judgmental line—she hadn't been doing anything controversial—and one aide summed the mood up well: “Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them.”

Back in the Far East, Kate remained dignified throughout this episode, a combination of her calm personality and well-honed media training. Arriving in Borneo, they were both determined to enjoy their visit to the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah, as they had been looking forward to seeing
endangered orangutans in the rain forest there, and by the time they visited the Solomon Islands, they looked truly happy and relaxed, making it appear more like a honeymoon than a working tour.

Returning home a few days later, William and Kate wanted to get back to normal. While the prince reported for work at RAF Valley, Kate stayed in London so she could visit their new apartment at Kensington Palace. The extensive refurbishment of Apartment 1A was well underway. It involved complete rewiring of the seventeenth-century palace, an overhaul of the antiquated plumbing, and the removal of asbestos from the property. Kate was closely involved with the redesign, cutting ideas out of home magazines for mood boards like those she had used for her wedding. Although the British taxpayer was picking up the bill for the renovation work, William and Kate were paying for interior redecoration, and Kate busied herself selecting fabrics, wallpapers, and paint colors.

As well as William and Kate's London apartment, which was to be their principal family home, the Queen had gifted them Amner Hall on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. As a child, William had spent many happy weekends at the late Georgian property, which had once been the home of the Van Cutsem family. Plans were being submitted to the local council for some additional building work to make the property more private and secure, and much to Kate's relief, the house would be available to her parents at Christmas, now that she was expected to be at Sandringham for the holidays.

Meanwhile, Michael and Carole were also house hunting. Party Pieces, whose staff now comprised thirty full-time team members, was reported to be making profits worth millions of dollars. They had made an offer on a beautiful Grade 2–listed
Georgian house called The Manor, half a mile from Oak Acre in Bucklebury. Situated off a quiet and secluded country lane, it afforded privacy and space, with wonderful views over the surrounding fields and the picturesque Pang Valley. The eighteen-acre property had a swimming pool, a tennis court, seven bedrooms, a library, an elegant drawing room, and an impressive entrance hall decorated with hand-painted silk wallpaper. There were also a number of outbuildings on the property that could be used by William and Kate's security team when they visited.

Carole and Michael seemed to have relaxed into their role as royal in-laws, but Pippa was still going through a period of adjustment. Although she had been placed in
Time
magazine as one of the one hundred most influential people in the world and was concentrating on her career as a professional party planner, she faced a backlash in the media, accused of cashing in on her royal association when she signed a six-figure book deal to write her first book on the art of entertaining. And when she was photographed in Paris with a male friend who brandished a fake gun at a photographer following their car, Pippa found herself having to navigate out of a media storm without the sophisticated palace PR machine to assist her. She was making more headlines, at times, than her sister.

Still, Kate was not short of column inches, and speculation was growing over when she and William might start a family. Since the autumn, she and William had been busy opening exhibitions and traveling around the country on official engagements. In November, they visited Cambridge, their namesake, for the very first time to open a support center for the homeless. When William was presented with a tiny sleepsuit bearing the words “Daddy's little co-pilot,” he appeared
delighted and said, “I'll keep that,” prompting a frenzy on Twitter that Kate might be expecting. However, when she readily accepted an invitation to open a new sports field at her old school, St. Andrews Prep, and joined an impromptu game of hockey in a pair of high-heeled boots, she put royal watchers off the scent that she might be pregnant and instead the media reported on her attractive new bangs. The truth, however, was that Kate was nearly two months' pregnant. Only William, her mother, and Pippa knew, eight weeks being far too early to make an official announcement.

Kate and William had decided they would make the announcement at Christmas after the baby's first scan, but Kate was overwhelmed by severe morning sickness. Initially, she was not alarmed, having read up on the early stages of pregnancy, but when the sickness did not abate after a weekend of being violently ill, William called the royal physician. It was early December, and the Prince had been away shooting in Hampshire. When Kate called to tell him she was feeling even worse, William drove to Bucklebury. On Monday, she still showed no signs of improvement, so the royal doctor advised her to go to King Edward VII's Hospital in central London. There, Kate was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum—acute morning sickness—a serious condition that risks depriving the mother and baby of essential nutrients.

Worried about his wife and unborn baby's health, William had to deal with the likelihood that Kate's condition and hospitalization might be leaked to the press or, worse still, go global on Twitter. After speaking with Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, it was agreed that St. James's Palace would issue a statement confirming the pregnancy, announcing that Kate had been admitted to the hospital. As he had ahead of news of
their engagement, William called his grandmother and father to tell them of Kate's condition and forewarn them that her pregnancy was about to be made public. William also e-mailed Harry, who was then serving in Afghanistan.

While Kate was put on a rehydration drip and bed rest, the news was announced via a press statement and Twitter, both of which led to the couple's official website crashing. Within moments, there was a frenzy of excitement around the world, where twenty-four-hour news channels and newspapers dedicated their broadcasts to the conception of a new third-inline to the throne. On Twitter, the news started trending within minutes, with celebrities and politicians exclaiming their joy and sending the couple their best wishes. A cause for national celebration, David Cameron was among the first to publicly extend his congratulations to the couple, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had married them. Across the Atlantic, President Obama and his wife issued a statement saying that it was “welcome news.” But the excitement was, of course, muted, the concern about Kate's health and the early stages of pregnancy at the forefront of people's minds. Although the Palace had refused to comment on how many weeks pregnant she was, they said that she would remain in the hospital “for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter.”

In the press, there was speculation about when the couple might have conceived, the due date, and whether, because of the acute morning sickness, they might be expecting twins. There was much commentary over the implications should the couple's firstborn be a daughter, because revisions to the Succession to the Crown Act were being passed through Parliament during the current session. The Queen, who was
sympathetic to Kate's condition, having suffered from morning sickness herself, was aware that the proposed changes to the laws of succession were of paramount importance. Then there was also the matter of a title and the proposed amendments to ancient legislation drafted by King George V in 1917 that stipulated that the HRH title should be restricted to the children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign's sons, and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales's eldest son, meaning that if William and Kate were to have a daughter, she would not have an HRH title.

Column inches were devoted to who might be asked to be godparents, with Pippa and Harry being named as favorites. Prince Charles spoke of his delight at the prospect of becoming a grandfather, telling reporters: “I'm thrilled—marvelous. It's a very nice thought to become a grandfather in my old age, if I can say so.” Michael and Carole visited Kate in the hospital but declined to comment to the press, and three days later, Kate was discharged. William, who had been at his wife's side every day, accompanied her down the hospital steps. Sensibly wrapped up against the winter chill in a coat and scarf and holding a pretty bouquet of yellow flowers, Kate looked tired but happy. As she walked to her waiting car, she smiled at the cameramen and waiting crowds. “I'm feeling much better, thank you,” she said.

Accompanied by a police escort, the couple headed straight home to Kensington Palace so that Kate could rest. She was advised to stay in London rather than head back to their home in Anglesey so that she could be readmitted to the hospital quickly if she suddenly became ill again. A team of doctors, including the Queen's surgeon gynecologist, Alan Farthing, and his predecessor, Marcus Setchell, were on call twenty-four
hours a day to take care of her. She was under strict orders to rest and keep hydrated. Her aides canceled all immediate engagements, hoping that the media interest would die down now that Kate was out of the hospital.

This might have been the end of this unfortunate beginning to Kate's pregnancy, but a tragedy was around the corner. During Kate's admission, a pair of Australian DJs had made a prank call to the King Edward VII's Hospital, impersonating the Queen and Prince Charles and asking to be put through to Kate. It was the middle of the night in the United Kingdom, and despite their unconvincing accents, they were transferred by a nurse manning the switchboard to the ward where Kate was being treated and given an up-to-date medical briefing on Kate's condition by the attending nurse. The presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who worked for Sydney's 2DayFM breakfast show, broadcast the call live and described it as “the easiest prank call we've ever made.”

When news of the hoax call broke, there was outrage. William was said to have been livid, while the chief executive of the hospital, which has treated members of the royal family for decades, described it as a “foolish prank,” launching an immediate investigation into the hospital's phone security. But then things took a serious turn, and just days after the hoax call, Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who had transferred the DJs' phone call to Kate's ward, was found hanged in her nurses' accommodation. According to her family, the forty-six-year-old mother of two had taken her own life because she was so ashamed of what she had inadvertently done. Kate was at Kensington Palace when she received the news, and according to her aides, she was devastated, as was William. What
should have been the happiest announcement of their lives had been overshadowed most terribly by a pointless death.