After returning home to Britain, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have returned home and settled back into a routine of domestic and social activities. Prince William went to the wedding of his friend and long term member of the royal set, Guy Pelly (who is now married to hotel heiress Elizabeth Wilson) and Duchess Kate has gone back to her routine of living at Kensington Palace tending to the usual household duties and looking after her infant son George. William went to Tennessee with his brother Prince Harry and enjoyed a weekend of seeing Graceland (home of rock legend Elvis Presley) and enjoying pre-wedding drinks with the future bride and friend Guy.
The Duchess opted out of the vacation, deciding to meet up with her family, charities, and enjoy a respite from the swirl of endless engagements and crowds that demanded her attention. Prince William and Duchess Kate are determined to spend the summer cutting back on engagements and spending time enjoying the summer fun and are likely to perform appearances, but keep it to a minimum while George grows and both parents can spend time as a family, giving the nanny a much needed break from tending to George's needs. Kate has been spending the past week and a half looking after her son and visiting her family in Berkshire and reporting to the Palace about her agenda. Once back Prince William decided to spend a brief couple of days at home and then he was off to the wedding of his friend (and considered the jester of the royal crowd that William and Harry surround themselves with) Guy Pelly to hotel heiress Elizabeth Wilson.
Due to the phenomenal success of the tour, the palace has been deluged with requests for appearances, but the Duchess is being consulted on all matters pertaining to the light schedule that the Duke and Duchess are determined to adhere to. The tour of New Zealand was launched with a scandal of the Duchess' upper thighs exposed and yet, it was the only real blip in the smoothly run tour. After several appearances the Duchess' gaffe was overlooked and she was able to erase it from the minds of the public and press. In a matter of days she was being lauded as a modern royal consort who was helping William modernize the monarchy via having a much more casual tour than any other. During the farewell engagement, where they bid Australia a formal farewell and the Australian representatives of the indigenous population reciprocated, the Duchess remained in a dressy casual dress code and Prince William did the same.
While there was pre-tour hype of how the Queen would be bestowing Kate numerous bijoux and had insisted that the Duchess spare no expense to make herself as dignified and elegant as possible (a rumored expenditure of a dress costing over eighty-eight thousand dollars), the Duchess and Prince William decided to handle this as a more casual affair, eschewing any major receptions and formal dinners. It astounded palace insiders and impressed the unpretentious Australian citizenry who greeted the royal couple with their famous informal goodwill. This new groundbreaking approach to royal tours actually unnerved the palace, since cultivating the goodwill and support of the government officials in Australia is considered important.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York accompanied the royal group to Tennessee, with Prince Harry joining as one of the groom's best men. During their time in Tennessee, Princes William and Harry, along with their cousins the princesses, they amused themselves by enjoying pre-wedding drinks and a private tour of Graceland. American taxpayers picked up the bill for their security and other specialized arrangements (a usual practice for the host country of visiting dignitaries) and despite the fact that this was a private trip, there were many fans of the royals camped outside the country club where the ceremony and reception was held. After what was considered a racy reception (rumors of Prince Harry twirking spread like wildfire on tabloid magazines) the entire group left, while Pelly went with his bride to their honeymoon destination.
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