Why would anyone buy Pippa Middleton's book? asks Marcus Wareing Wareing, who was Gordon Ramsay's long-standing business partner after they first met while working for Albert Roux at Le Gavroche, adds: "Look at Gwyneth Paltrow, Pippa Middleton, Lorraine Pascale. I don't see Lorraine as a chef at all. I don't buy into it; I'm not interested in it; I don't read her books. That's not because I don't believe in her, it's just she's not a cook, for me. Pippa edits a website promoting goods sold by the party paraphernalia company owned by her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton. Last year, she published her debut book, Celebrate, for which she was paid a reported £400,000 advance. In February, she signed a deal to write a regular column for Waitrose's magazine. That was followed by a contract with Vanity Fair earlier this month. Party must go on for Prince In keeping with this austere age, Prince Michael of Kent scaled down plans for his 70th birthday last year. Happily, however, the Queen's cousin has celebrated his 71st in style. Last week, he and Princess Michael, who mark their 35th wedding anniversary on Sunday, invited around 300 of their closest friends and family to a garden party at Kensington Palace, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will live in a 57-room home renovated using £1million of taxpayers" money. "It was a delightful party and the sun even came out," says a friend of the couple. A spokesman says it was "just their usual summer party." The Queen is fond of Prince Michael but is said to have once remarked of his wife: "She's far too grand for us."