In recent weeks, there’s been a lot of news about Prince William and Kate Middleton. Most of it was about William taking on more of his “royal duties” as a patron to several charities, as well as a statement he wrote for The Daily Mail about his grief over his mother. There was also word from a French tabloid that William and Kate were preparing a summer wedding, but that quickly got shot down.

Sunday, The Mail ran a few articles about Middleton. One was painting her as kind of a sad sack who is waiting quietly for William to propose to her, watching all of her friends (or rather, their friends) run off and get married. I actually think she is waiting around for Will, but I don’t believe she’s a sad sack about the whole thing. She seems to know what she’s doing, and she’s made the choice to wait. Here’s The Mail’s version:

Having bonded as Royal girlfriends over the past four years, the friendship between Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy appears to have turned a little sour.

Chelsy, 23, who broke up with Prince Harry in January, has distanced herself from Prince William’s girlfriend, who remains very much in the Royal fold. Ironically, it was 27-year-old Kate to whom Chelsy turned to when she split from Harry for the first time two years ago, but I’m told Chelsy is not impressed with Kate’s latest advice.

‘When they last saw each other Kate told Chelsy not to make such a fuss about Harry being away,’ says a friend. ‘She also told Chelsy to ignore rumours he was playing around. Kate’s thoughts were that it comes with the territory.’

I’m told it hasn’t helped that Kate’s close chum, society girl Astrid Harbord, 24, was recently snapped going back to Clarence House with Harry after a night out clubbing.

While Kate must wait patiently for William to pop the question, their close friend Oli Baker has announced his engagement.

Oli, 25, is a fellow graduate of St Andrews University – where Kate and Wills met. ‘He is marrying girlfriend Mel who was Kate’s flatmate in London,’ says a friend. ‘They are the last set of close friends of Wills and Kate at St Andrews to announce a wedding. It must be tough for Kate.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“It comes with the territory”? I wonder if “it” means the rumors of womanizing princes, or the actual womanizing. William has made no secret of his ambivalence to early marriage, so I suspect Kate is just going to wait him out. She has the patience of a saint, which might serve her well if she ever becomes the Princess of Wales… or the Queen.

The Mail has Middleton coming and going – they also ran a second story, a lengthy “investigation” of her family’s wealth and connections. They mention that some people will have a problem if “the daughter of an air stewardess” becomes Queen. Apparently, Kate’s family is quite rich, and quite secretive about their wealth. The guy who wrote the article has a biography on Kate coming out called Princess in Waiting, and I think he’s attempting to both give the Middleton family credit for being savvy and smart with money, while also insinuating that they are a family of desperate social climbers.

Here’s Kate attending the wedding of Lady Rose Windsor to Mr. George Gilman at the Queen’s Chapel in London in July. Images thanks to WENN .