William and Kate: The First Year Page #4

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who's the queen of celebrities

in America,

was incredibly nervous meeting

Catherine and William.

Of everybody in that room,

the one who looked most composed,

most comfortable, was William.

Catherine was just beaming.

It was like watching a child

who had just entered this world of

candy and wonder and splendour.

She just couldn't stop smiling.

Here we are in Hollywood,

where there are big events

every night, week in, week out,

and yet this event was so special.

After a spellbinding performance

worthy of an Academy Award...

Thank you for coming!

it was time for the royals

to return home.

PR wise, Canada and the United

States were a triumph. Flawless.

Nothing went wrong.

The script couldn't have been

written better by Hollywood itself.

It was flawlessly organised,

the pictures were sensational,

and William and Kate,

as everybody could see,

carried it off perfectly. Really.

12 days after

their North American trip,

Kate's wedding dress went on display

in Buckingham Palace.

The Queen went to see the dress with

the Duchess, who made it famous.

But the dress provoked an

unexpected reaction.

It's horrid, isn't it?

Horrible. It's dreadful.

She wasn't talking about the dress

being horrible.

She was merely talking about the

way it was displayed.

It was fantastic to see the Queen

just talking normally

and saying what she thought

rather than what the spin doctors

thought she ought to be saying.

Headline immediately...

'It's horrible, says the Queen.'

What it did do. It gave that

exhibition such a boost.

Record numbers went to see that

dress. Numbers were huge.

Coming up...

Birmingham gets a royal visit.

I think it's terribly important when

there are disasters and tragedies

that people realise that the

royal family are thinking of them.

and Christmas at Sandringham.

I've done Sandringham

for at least 20 years.

Last year's crowd was the biggest

I've ever seen.

From the glamour of Hollywood

to the gritty reality

of the UK in turmoil.

Just five weeks after

their overseas tour,

duty called for the

Duke and Duchess.

Tensions on the streets again.

Hundreds of police on standby

after mob violence last night left

London burning.

In August, riots spread across the

streets of Britain...

and the royal family

responded quickly.

Prince Charles went to London,

Prince Harry to Salford,

and the Duke and Duchess

visited one of the worst affected

areas, Birmingham.

This week's series of royal visits

was orchestrated by

the Prince of Wales.

Officials say he watched television

coverage of the riots in dismay,

and immediately contacted

his two sons

to draw up a plan of action.

We expect them to be not only there

when things are good,

but to visit when times are bad.

The royal family are really

at ground roots level,

and you would expect them to be

there. Absolutely.

If you shy away from that, then you

shy away from who we are,

and what happens to us as a nation?

For one community,

the ultimate price was paid.

Shahzad Ali, his brother

Abdul Musavir, and Haroon Jahan

were killed when a car ploughed into

a group of men

out protecting the community

of Winson Green.

In response to the tragic event,

The Duke and Duchess

held a private meeting with the

grieving family.

It was a private family meeting.

I'm-I'm... I'm grateful for the

Prince and his wife for coming down.

It was a... Somebody like myself...

I'm a nobody,

and for them to come down,

it was very touching.

I think it's terribly important when

there are disasters and tragedies

that people realise that the royal

family are thinking of them.

It's hugely important for the royals

to get out

and get into the communities when

bad things have happened.

All of this really goes back to the

Queen Mother during the Blitz.

She really rallied.

She tried to get out and see Britons

that were suffering.

William and Kate want to be seen to

be in touch with real people.

The signal they were sending out

was that they care,

that they understand, and I think

that's very important,

and I think they've pulled that off

very, very well.

In November, they carried out their

first humanitarian aid mission.

They went to Copenhagen to visit

UNICEF's headquarters

where they were packing supplies

for Africa

with the Crown Prince of Denmark

and his wife.

A foursome of young

European royalty

here to champion the cause of

Africa's dispossessed.

Well, I think it was initially

a very big story.

A lot of people did hear about it.

But I think, because it has been

going on,

people have perhaps lost track of

the terrible situation.

I think this hopefully will put the

light back on this crisis.

But it wasn't

the East African crisis

that made the headlines

the next day.

They were offered a taste of a

special peanut paste

made for malnourished children.

William tried some, his wife passed

it on to the Danish royals.

That sent the rumour mill into

overdrive that she was pregnant

because pregnant women are advised

not to eat peanuts.

It wasn't the first,

or the last time,

that Kate would find herself

in the middle of a pregnancy

speculation storm.

I think before the ink had even

dried on the register

the royal baby rumour mill

had kicked off,

but the things that kicked off these

rumours were just astounding.

Kate drinks water at a cocktail

party... She's pregnant!

She wears a loosefitting gown...

She's pregnant!

She doesn't eat peanut paste...

She's pregnant!

One of the American tabloid

magazines

went as far as to say that her

little clutch bag,

held in front of her stomach,

was hiding a bump.

It's nonsense.

They'll have a baby when they

are good and ready.

The Duke of Edinburgh is continuing

his recovery in hospital tonight

after missing the royal service at

Sandringham for the first time.

With Prince Philip's illness

overshadowing Christmas

celebrations,

the royals rallied around to support

the Queen.

The Queen had 27 house guests at

Sandringham this year.

The whole family were there,

which was fantastic.

It wasn't just the family that

turned out.

So did the crowds.

I've done Sandringham Church

for at least 20 years

and I know about crowds.

I've been there in the snow,

I've been there during gales,

in torrential rain,

and when the sun has been shining.

Last year, the crowd was the biggest

I've ever seen.

Experiencing her first festive

season at Sandringham,

one of the biggest dilemmas

facing the Duchess

was what to pack for Christmas

with the royals.

You will probably get up

in something

then put on something more robust,

weatherproof, to go out shooting.

You'd come back again, drenched wet,

have a hot bath as soon as you can,

change into something like a skirt

or a clean pair of trousers for tea,

and then change again for dinner.

That would be four changes in a day.

It sounds ridiculous, but it is

actually quite practical.

But it wasn't just her wardrobe

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