The media delighted in learning that Kate and Pippa Middleton, those paragons of ladylike elegance and propriety, have a burlesque dancer for a cousin.
Now Katrina Darling, whom the New York Post reported as a second cousin, once removed, to the Duchess of Cambridge, has brought her sexy dance act stateside. The name of the routine? "God Save The Queen."
Darling, who spends daylight hours working for Barclays in London, stripped down on Tuesday night at basement nightclub W.I.P. According to the Daily Beast (and plenty of pics, which you can see below), she began the act in British royal regalia, with gold elbow-length gloves, a red sequin dress with gold tassels and a miniature crown atop her head.
Of course once things got going, the gloves and the dress came off, leaving only a strategically-placed set of royal pasties.
Despite the regal theme of the show, Darling has spent most of her life unaware of her connection to Kate. As Us Weekly previously reported, "Darling and the Duchess of Cambridge, 30, have never met, and are connected through Katrina's grandmother, Jane Darling, who is the sister of Middleton's great-grandfather, Thomas Harrison."
She didn't discover the connection until after Catherine and Prince William were engaged.
Now that the family ties have come to light, Katrina told the New York Post that she'd be happy if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge came to see her perform, "but if they don’t, it’s not the end of the world." As for an official statement? Added the Post, "A giggling royal rep had no comment on Darling or her burlesque act."
Alas, neither Kate nor Pippa was in attendance last night. But a photographer was -- check out snaps of Katrina's "God Save The Queen" act below. See any family resemblance?
