KATE AND WILLIAM SPEND NEW YEARS IN A LAP REINDEER TEPEE

According to British tabloids, newly married Prince William and Kate spent their first New Years celebration together as husband and wife with the Middletons in a tent used by the reindeer herders of Lapland. Their reindeer skin teepee called a Kata was rented by Kate’s sister Pippa from an upscale events planning company for the New Year’s Eve party she hosted in the backyard of her family home in Berkshire.

Earlier, the young couple’s New Year’s plans were disclosed as being a quiet weekend with William’s father, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla in Scotland. However, Wills and Kate were instead spotted earlier in the day by locals and were playing with the dog belonging to Kate's parents in their garden in Berkshire, in the village of Bucklebury.

But back to the Kata tent, it looks a lot like a Native American tepee and has an opening at the top as a vent to let out smoke. Traditionally, Katas are used by the semi-nomadic Sami of Lapland as portable homes, and also for specialized uses such as smoking fish. The Kata rented by Pippa, who has some experience as a party planner, was probably a man-made version that offers seating for more than 100 people and cost around £3,000 for the occasion.