More Prince Albert Marriage Rumors

Rumors that lifelong bachelor playboy Prince Albert is set to wed soon are intensifying. The ruler of Monaco, 49, has been dating former Olympic athlete Charlene Wittstock of South Africa for about two years now.

Albert has reportedly stated that if he ever did marry, "the woman of my life will have to resemble my mother" which Wittstock does. She's been seen with him at a number of high-profile events, including last week's Circus Festival in Monte Carlo. Before dating Wittstock, the prince generally attended such events alone or with family only.

More telling is a recent tidbit in the London Telegraph newspaper saying that the prince has given orders that all palace staff are to become fluent in English, which is what 29-year-old Wittstock speaks. Meanwhile, she is apparently taking French lessons.

Prince William Flies Solo

Today, RAF Flying Officer William Wales, known to most people as Prince William, flew a small plane solo for the first time.

Prince William is in training with the Royal Air Force at Cranwell in Lincolnshire. This is only his second week of an accelerated 4-month training program.

In a London Times story, he was quoted as saying, "God knows how somebody trusted me with an aircraft and my own life. It was an amazing feeling, I couldn’t believe it. Once I’d taken off, it was fine. You just remember your checks and do all the things you’ve got to do and fly the circuit. Then I was watching the runway getting closer and thinking, 'Please, please don’t mess this up.' "

The prince's flight was in a small propellor plane. His training will eventually move on to larger planes.

Middleton to Get 24-hour Security

Reports in UK newspapers suggest that Kate Middleton is due to start getting round-the-clock bodyguards, courtesy of British taxpayers. Some call this the strongest sign yet that her status is changing and that an engagement may be imminent.

QEII meets Wii

According to a report in UK magazine The People, Kate Middleton got Prince William a Wii for Christmas. But he's having to share it with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Apparently the Queen shows signs of becoming a devoted gamer.

Security for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie: $1 Million a Year

UK newspaper The Telegraph and The Sunday Mail in Australia are reporting a controversy over the high costs associated with security for Princess Beatrice, 19, and Princess Eugenie, 17.

Bodyguards for just one of the princesses costs about £250,000 annually (about $500,000). According to one security source quoted by the Telegraph, a great part of this expense is due to travel and hotel bills. And no wonder: Princess Beatrice, who is on her 'gap year' between secondary school and university, has recently traveled to Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and Belgium. This is when she's not partying with Kate Moss and the rest of the Primrose Hill set in London, apparently.

The sisters, whose parents are Prince Andrew (the Duke of York) and Sarah Ferguson, are reportedly considered by Scotland Yard to be a low security risk. They are fifth and sixth in the line of succession.

Drinking Drought for Prince William

In preparation for his eventual role as the head of the armed forces for Britain, Prince William will be making the rounds of all the military branches. His time with the army is about to come to an end, and next up is a 4-month stint with the Royal Air Force.

But the 25-year-old prince may find the RAF a bit more restrictive. As he'll be undergoing flight training, he'll have to adhere to the rules of that program, which include drinking no more than two beers a day, and not drinking past 8 p.m.

And his attachment to an air force base in Lincolnshire (in the north of England) will put a damper on trips to London nightclubs.

The prince will also be missing girlfriend Kate Middleton's 26th birthday bash as it falls in the middle of his first week with the RAF.

First Move In, Then Redecorate

My report from last week that Kate Middleton has moved into Clarence House is now followed by news that she's redecorating. According to several sources, Kate finds the current decor of Wills' apartments in the royal residence he shares with his brother and father to be "old-fashioned."

A source in the household staff has been reported as saying, "Kate is walking around with all the confidence of a princess-in-waiting. Some of the staff have called her the Lady of the House. She is making everyone aware of who wears the trousers in her relationship."

Or maybe she's just bored and shouldn't have quit her job so soon?