Prince William marriage rumours persist

PRINCE CHARLES was pictured in newspapers out shooting with his eldest son Prince William’s girlfriend Kate Middleton in a sign of her growing acceptance in royal circles.

The pair donned camouflage clothing for a deer stalking lesson at Queen Elizabeth II’s private Balmoral country estate in eastern Scotland.

It was the first time Prince Charles has been photographed publicly with Ms Middleton, fuelling speculation she may soon become engaged to army officer William, second in line to the throne.

It was the “clearest sign yet she will one day become his [Charles’s] daughter-in-law,” said the Sunday Express’s royal editor Camilla Tominey.

However, the excursion was criticised by anti-hunt campaigners. Barry Hugill, spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, said it was “terribly sad that William is introducing his girlfriend to such a barbaric pastime”.

“It’s so sad that it almost seems necessary that she must kill animals to be an member of the royal family,” he said.

William and Ms Middleton, both 25, are on a break at Balmoral, which is used by the royals as a summer retreat. They are staying at Birkhall, Charles’s home on the estate, as the guests of the prince and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.