Earlier this month, Richard Eden of the Telegraph reported that the Queen has “grown increasingly sympathetic” to the Catholic Church over the years while being “appalled” at developments in the Church of England. This was according to sources close to the Vatican, says Eden.

The Queen’s husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, recently visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. It was the first time that a senior member of the Royal family has made such a gesture for more than 400 years and lent credibility to the rumors of the “increasingly sympathetic” tones apparently coming from the Palace.

When Pope Benedict visits the UK next year, he is expected to stay at Buckingham Palace as a guest of the Queen.

Does this mean that the Act of Settlement will soon be on the heap?

Royal style vs. Tory trendy

It looks like the Royal women of Britain will soon have a run for their money in the fashion stakes.

Samantha Cameron, wife of Conservative Party leader David Cameron, has been praised for her elegant outfits and sensibly-priced accessories. Photographers snapped her £29 gray high heels paired with a sleek gray skirt and pink top, all at bargain prices.

Mrs. Cameron knows a thing or two about style: she is the co-owner of and a designer for the Oka interior design and lighting shop, a luxury goods business in Notting Hill. Her mother, Lady Annabel Astor, is a jewelry designer and CEO of the Oka store.

Charles pays tribute to Black Watch

HRH Prince Charles is scheduled to go to Dundee this Sunday to rededicate a memorial to the Black Watch.

In his capacity as the Duke of Rothesay, Charles will take part in the ceremony to mark the restoration of the monument, a bronze statue of a soldier that was erected as a tribute to over 440 Black Watch soldiers who died in World War II.

The Black Watch Association raised £12,000 for the works. Charles is the royal patron of the association after his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.