Thousands of people came out in support of the Duchess of Cambridge after Hilary Mantel launched a scathing attack about her. The double Booker Prize winner, whose latest books are set in the Tudor court, dismissed Kate as a 'machine-made' princess, 'designed by committee'. But where the author described her as 'plastic' and as a personality-free 'shop window mannequin' with a 'plastic smile', many have come out to say that the Duchess is a warm, intelligent woman.

The head of a charity supported by the Duchess of Cambridge has hit back at Hilary Mantel's extraordinary attack on her, saying she is an 'intelligent' woman who is proving to be a huge asset to the causes she backs. Nick Barton, chief executive of Action on Addiction, said the Booker prize-winning author was entirely wrong to characterise the Duchess as a clothes horse whose only purpose was to give birth. Speaking ahead of a visit by the Duchess to Hope House, an addiction recovery centre for women in Clapham, south London, Mr Barton said: 'I can only speak of what I know, and having met the Duchess several times I find her to be engaging, natural and genuinely interested in the subject.'

Kate returned to work today with the merest hint of a baby bump. Looked tanned after her recent holiday in Mustique, Kate braved a chilly morning in London wearing only a grey patterned wrap dress by upmarket High Street range Max Mara.

— Daily Mail

Rihanna unveils River Island campaign

Rihanna's London Fashion Week show may have been a little anti-climactic, due mainly to the lack of a performance by the diva herself, but she's certainly working hard to keep the momentum surrounding her debut fashion offering going. As such, today sees the unveiling of the collection's campaign, starring Jourdan Dunn and pink-haired Charlotte Free no less. Shot by Mario Sorrenti back in December (Riri kindly tweeted some behind-the-scenes snaps at the time), the campaign was directed by the pop star and, rather surprisingly (and refreshingly), she doesn't feature in it herself. Intead, Dunn, Free and fellow models Tao Okamoto, Ataui Deng and Bambi Northwood Blyth pose in the Nineties-inspired pieces (think thigh-high slits aplenty and lots of bustier bralets).

— Telegraph

Inside the bathroom where Reeva was shot

Chilling photos have emerged of the bathroom where Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend lay dying after he gunned her down through the door. The luxurious stone-clad en-suite is now the focus of a murder inquiry as investigators try to piece together what happened in the toilet cubicle where Reeva Steenkamp spent her last moments. Prosecutors argue the model was trapped in there hiding from Pistorius, while he claims his girlfriend was using the bathroom after getting up in the night at his upscale Pretoria home.

— Daily Mail

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