LONDON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Royal-watchers in England are wondering when Prince William and his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton will finally become engaged.
Now in their fifth year as a couple the prince and Middleton, both 24, have lately seemed so intertwined that rumors of a pending engagement are heating up, People magazine said.
Middleton reportedly has been invited to the Queen's country retreat, Sandringham, for a Windsor family Christmas Day lunch, which observers said is an unprecedented honor for an unmarried partner of a royal family member. If true -- and palace officials won't confirm the invitation -- observers said the invitation is as good as an engagement announcement, People reports.
Observers said no one is formally grooming Middleton. "There are no people advising her or preparing her for anything," a palace insider told People. "She is going about her private life as a private individual."
