You might get the impression from Kate Middleton is a total lush and a complete embarrassment for the royal family from this Life & Style cover. You would be wrong – the story seems to be about Kate’s BROTHER James being the drunk one. And how he was so blitzed one night that he pissed in a public garden. Which just makes him kind of funny, in my opinion. Anyway, now that Kate is set to join “The Firm” it seems like people are coming out of the woodwork with “embarrassing” photos of her, and some are even rehashing that incident with Kate’s sketchy uncle.

Four months before she’s set to walk down the aisle and marry Prince William, Kate Middleton has reason to panic—photos of her family during a messy, drunken night out last year have surfaced. The photos, exclusively obtained by Life & Style, were taken on April 15, 2009, after the Middleton family — including Kate’s younger sister, Pippa, her brother James, her father, Michael, and her mother, Carole — walked from their London home to the nearby club Raffles, a private members-only lounge for London’s ultrawealthy jetset crowd, to celebrate James’ birthday.

According to an onlooker, James already seemed intoxicated on his way to the club.

“You could tell from the way he was walking that James had been drinking,” an observer tells Life & Style. After just a half an hour inside the club, he emerged for a smoke break. He was so out of it, he shocked bystanders by urinating through a railing into a historic, private garden. And although the family lived just steps away from the club, James had to be escorted home in a taxi.

“Katie was mortified and tried to keep people from taking his picture,” the onlooker recalls, “but he didn’t seem to care.”

The queen is likely to be furious at the Middletons.

“Now that Kate is joining her family, those photos are more embarrassing than when they were originally taken,” a royal insider tells Life & Style. According to the insider, the queen wants the youngsters to party in private. “She’s even asked William and Kate to cut down on their evenings out because she doesn’t think it looks right for them to be partying so much during a recession.”

Kate’s families’ behavior is a constant hovering threat to her reputation. Gary Goldsmith, Kate’s uncle on her mother’s side, caused her enormous embarrassment when he was caught offering cocaine and escort services to an undercover reporter in July 2009. The family shunned him, but Life & Style has learned he’s since worked his way back into their good graces. In fact a royal insider confirms, “He’s set to be invited to the wedding.”

[From Life & Style]

While I’m generally not the biggest fan of Kate, even I think she’s pretty much the least scandalous person in the UK at this point. Is this all they’ve got on her? Some drunk photos, a dodgy uncle and a brother who pisses in public gardens? That’s so tame – and part of the reason I don’t care for Kate. She’s just so bland.

Oh, but it is a good idea for Kate and William to stop partying and clubbing all the time. They’re not kids anymore, you know? It also might be a great idea for them to stop talking nine vacations a year too!

Speaking of, Kate made this week’s Us Weekly cover too. The story looks…zzzz….

L&S cover courtesy of Life & Style. Us Weekly cover courtesy of CoverAwards.