Despite the reported split between the toothsome Kate Middleton and longstanding love, Prince William, it seems Kate spent the night before the Concert for Diana with William at Clarence House in London.

Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Concert for Diana

She is said to have arrived at around midnight, leaving her car at a hotel carpark. It was later collected by an aide and driven to Clarence House.

Intriguingly, at the concert, she sat two rows behind William, out of shot of cameras focused on him. This ensured she wasn’t generally included in the TV pictures unless they focused primarily on her — which they did. In the one shot where she appears with the Prince (above) she seems to be glaring at the picture-taker.

Meanwhile, Chelsy Davy — longstanding love of Prince Harry — was in the front row next to her man, conspicuously kissing and cuddling.

It was distinctly a tale of two Princes and their different reactions to the media.

A number of sources are now saying that the Wills / Kate romance is definitely on again, but that the couple want to play it down to avoid press attention.

This is confirmed by a quote from a “senior Royal source” who said: “They are of course close friends and have remained so since April. But they both want space and do not want to conduct their friendship with the added attention and pressure of more speculation. They particularly did not want their friendship to be the focus of media attention. Yesterday was about Diana and celebrating her life and work.”

The public loves a cloak and dagger romance — Prince Charles famously hid in the boot of his car when visiting Camilla at Raymill House. It’s doubtful these two lovebirds will succeed in fooling the press and paparazzi of their intentions, especially when the public has an insatiable appetite for Royal romance tittle-tattle and gossip.

It also helps if it’s true, of course.

“My great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather’s mistress, so how about it?”

Those are the words that Camilla Shand (later Parker-Bowles) supposedly spoke to Prince Charles the first time she met him. I don’t know if it is true, but it ought to be if it isn’t, because it’s a great line.

Camilla’s great-grandmother was Alice Keppel, wife of Colonel Hon. George Keppel. Alice conducted several affairs with prominent men, always increasing her social status. Alice met Albert Edward, the future King Edward VII, in 1898. He was 56. She was 29. Despite a 28-year age difference, she became his mistress and remained so until his death.

It was said that Alice knew how to cure the King’s moods and she was an accomplished bridge player, which appealed greatly to Edward. Although he had another mistress, Agnes Keyser, at the same time as Alice, Alice was the one who kept him in good humour.

It was Alice that the king’s wife, Alexandra, allowed to visit his bedside when Edward lay dying. Although Alexandra disliked Keppel’s annual appearance at the Cowes regatta, she did appreciate her discretion. When Edward asked for her on his death bed, Alexandra reluctantly sent for Alice and allowed her to stay until Edward lost consciousness.

Although Edward had many mistresses it is clear that Alice filled more than just the role of mistress for him. The very fact that it was Alice that tamed his mood swings and who he asked to see before he died shows this. As for Alice, it is unknown how she felt about Edward. One of her daughters was to remark that the marriage of Alice and George Keppel was one that was a “companionship of love and laughter”.

It has been suggested that Alice’s daughter Sonia might have been Edward’s child. Sonia was Camilla’s great-grandmother. Were she Edward’s offspring, that would make Charles and Camilla second cousins, once removed. It seems unlikely though, as Edward never treated her as his child and she was said to greatly resemble George Keppel.

But even so, perhaps there is something about the connection that brings destiny into the marriage of Charles and Camilla.

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It was 36 years ago that Charles met Camilla at a polo match. A very fitting beginning that he should meet the love of his life in the setting of the game he loves so well. He was the heir to the throne of England. She was the great-grandaughter of his great-great grandfather’s mistress. She could not know then that she would ascend to a place that her great-grandmother did not attain.

The next year Charles joined the Navy. Although he continued a relationship with Camilla and even was seen on a date with her at a nightclub in 1972, he was well aware that the feisty Camilla was not the virgin bride that duty called him to take. She must have been aware of this as well. In 1973, Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles.

Although Charles was linked romantically with several women in the next few years, he remained close to Camilla and even as his relationship with Diana Spencer came to the news, so did rumors of an affair with Camilla.

The world watched the fairy tale wedding of Charles and Diana. It wasn’t for Charles that we watched, but for this pretty and engaging young girl, seemingly shy, clearly in love and with a prince! It is no wonder that the wedding captured the imaginations of so many. But sadly, like most fairy tales, it simply wasn’t true. I believe Charles put effort into his marriage but they simply were too different, she was too young, her disappointment too great. Her unhappiness grew, their marriage crumbled, his unhappiness grew, his relationship with Camilla became more important. Blame is laid on one more than another depending on the perspective of the one judging, but I believe that even a mistake made in good conscience can only produce more mistakes.

Through years of tabloid notoriety, through years of tears and agonizing choices, through divorces and the death of a princess, the world has watched and there was a time when the marriage of Charles to Camilla seemed impossible and even distasteful to most. He was the future king, divorced already and forbidden remarriage. She was the most hated woman in the British Isles.

After the death of Diana, Charles assiduously went about changing the opinion of both the public and the royal family about Camilla. It is a testament to his true love for her, a love that has spanned three decades.

Perhaps the marriage of Charles and Camilla is more of a fairy tale romance than we were wont to believe his marriage to Diana was all those years ago. No beautiful young princess, no horse-drawn carriage, no fanfare, just a simple civil ceremony attended by only a very few that did not even include the Queen. Their eventual happiness shines as a beacon of hope for middle-aged romantics, that there is a second chance at happiness, that there is such a thing as “true love” and that we are never too old to discover and claim it as our own.