Kate Gets Flowers (and a Card) for Valentine's Day

Her husband may have been 7,500 miles away but the Duchess of Cambridge still received plenty of love on Valentine's Day.
William sent her a card and some flowers – and the people of Liverpool, England, added their bouquets and hugs on Tuesday.
During her 20-minute visit to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Kate, in a chocolate brown overcoat by Hobbs and earrings by Niki McDonough, received flowers from onlookers and greeted (and hugged) some young admirers.
"She was brilliant," says Lyndsey Maclean, 36, whose daughter Katie, 9, also met the duchess. "You wouldn't think she hadn't been doing this for such a short time. She was friendly to everyone."

Earlier in the day, Kate visited the Brink, an alcohol-free bar supported by one of her chosen charities Action on Addiction, where she got some roses from 8-year-old admirer Jaqson Johnston-Lynch, who told her, "I am sorry Prince William cannot be here."

William & Kate Opening a Children's Cancer Center

Prince William is introducing his wife to a charity close to his heart.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will open a children's cancer center at the Royal Marsden Hospital later this month. William, 29, has followed in his mother, Princess Diana's footsteps by taking on the role of president of the London hospital.

The royal couple's office announced on Monday that they will visit the center on Sept. 29, where they will be given a tour of the unit, meet the staff and patients, and William will unveil a plaque to officially open the center.

The opening is part of Kate's ongoing immersion in royal charity work. "The Duchess is using the next few months to get to get to know a number of charitable and other causes better, so she can make well informed decisions about her future role," says a spokesman.

Palace sources have also confirmed to PEOPLE that Kate, 29, is currently undergoing quiet, private visits to charities to figure out what sorts of causes she will pursue. "The Duchess has a broad range of interests," adds the spokesman. And the causes she chooses to work with, "will be different to but complement her husband’s existing interests."

William and Kate have been spending most of their time in North Wales where he is hoping to reach the rank of captain in his Royal Air Force Search and Rescue squadron. The newlyweds also visited the Balmoral estate, spending time with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip over the weekend of September 11.

Kate Middleton attended the wedding with Pippa Middleton

Kate Middleton attended the wedding with Pippa Middleton

Kate Middleton Beaded Dress

Kate Middleton wowed at the ARK 10th Anniversary Gala dinner in a stunning shimmery blush Jenny Packham gown beaded with Swarovski crystals

Has Kate's black-sheep uncle Gary found his Plus One?

He is the famous black sheep of the Middleton family who caused great embarrassment after being caught on a hidden camera allegedly using cocaine and boasting of his Royal connections.

Now apparently reformed, Carole Middleton’s brother Gary Goldsmith has been sufficiently pardoned to receive an invitation to the wedding and it has been reported that he will attend with his ex-wife Luan and their ten-year-old daughter Tallulah.

But as these pictures show, Mr Goldsmith, 45, may well have beaten his niece up the aisle.

As he and a female partner enjoyed lunch in the London sunshine last month, keen-eyed observers noted that both were wearing what appeared to be wedding rings

In recent months he has been spotted with the red-haired woman, said by neighbours to be called Rachel, who has been described as having a Northern accent.

Tattooed and shaven-headed Mr Goldsmith, wearing cut-off denim shorts and a white T-shirt, is a well-known figure in the pubs and restaurants of well-heeled Marylebone, Central London, where he owns a smart mews house just off the main High Street.

The multi-millionaire property developer lives on the same road as the Malaysian ambassador and has recently been seen driving a brand new Range Rover with a private registration plate.

It is understood he made his £25 million fortune selling his stake in the IT recruitment business he founded. Rachel, meanwhile, is now a frequent visitor to the area’s beauty salons and designer clothing stores.

Mr Goldsmith brought controversy to the Middleton family after he was filmed by an undercover journalist at his £5 million villa on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza in 2009.

In the footage, he bragged about a holiday William and Kate had taken at the villa, named ‘La Maison de Bang Bang’, in 2006.

It is said that Mr Goldsmith’s hedonistic lifestyle, including a relationship with a lapdancer, was an open secret within the Middleton family. However, William was forced to disown him following the public revelations.

Prince William & Kate Middleton's College Homecoming

Prince William and Kate Middleton are heading back to school. 

On Feb. 25, William, 28, will be undertaking an official engagement at St. Andrew's University – the couple's alma mater – and he's taking his fiancée Kate, 29, as part of her immersion into royal life.
Kate will also be with him the day before on another royal duty as he launches a lifeboat close to their Welsh home on Anglesey.