Pippa Middleton is Photographed 400 Times a Day

Pippa Middleton isn't trying to be photographed, she's walking to work.

Tired of Pippa Middleton photos? We're pretty confident she is too. On Wednesday the Daily Mail's photo editor, Paul Silva, told the Leveson Inquiry that he receives up to 400 photographs of Pippa Middleton every day. Apparently there has been so much interest in the Duchess of Cambridge's sister since the royal wedding that photographers are constantly camped outside her home hoping to catch a glimpse of the stylish sibling.

According to the Guardian, the inquiry was set up in the aftermath of Rupert Murdoch's News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Celebrities constantly complain about being harassed by paparazzi, and you'd think following the tragic accident that caused the death of Princess Diana that photographers would be forced to back off.

Silva insisted the Daily Mail does not use any street photos of Pippa Middleton. "There is no reason to photograph her when she is out and about doing her own thing," he told the Inquiry. "At the moment there are 9 or 10 agencies outside her house [on any given day]. If she goes to get coffee, she goes back into her house, we get 300 to 400 pictures…There is no justification for using them."

The world has been obsessed with Pippa Middleton ever since she was a bridesmaid at the royal wedding last Apr …

But tabloids and papers like the Daily Mail have only increased our hunger for catching celebrities without makeup on or doing mundane things like buying groceries. While we'd like to blame the paparazzi, and they do often cross the line for a photograph, the agencies and publications they shoot for are also largely at fault.

The counsel to the inquiry, Robert Jay QC, asked Silva why the Daily Mail sent 10 or more photographers to the house of Ting Lan Hong, the mother of Hugh Grant's child, last fall. Hong took out an injunction, claiming she was harassed and followed by paparazzi after the birth of her daughter. Silva attempted to describe their process. "A story breaks, we then go to their home, we ask them to pose up, if they say no we'll move on and go away." When asked why the Daily Mail didn't wait for approval before sending photographers to Hong or Grant's house, Silva said, "That's the way we've done it for years."

Many argue that part of becoming a celebrity means letting go of your privacy, but we're pretty sure Pippa Middleton, whose sister happened to marry a Prince, didn't sign up to have her photo snapped 3,000 times a week. News outlets will keep posting these photos to gain more readers and create a fascination with the stars they feature (now people want to dress like Pippa and have a bum like Pippa's). Photographers will then keep taking the photos and collecting their paychecks. And as readers who click on every celebrity headline we are only perpetuating the issue. Is there any foreseeable end to the celebrity obsession, or will it only get worse from here?

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Kate Middleton Turns 30, Amasses Fortune in Gifts

Marry a prince, travel the world, become a fashion icon, do more charity work. If this was Kate Middleton's to-do list before she turned thirty, she can consider it done. On Monday, the Duchess celebrated the big three-oh without any of the sloppy, liquid-courage fanfare that usually comes with crossing the milestone.

Instead she toasted her accomplishments at a low-key dinner with her nearest and dearest.

"[She] had a quiet gathering with family and friends on Monday evening," a Palace aide told Us Weekly. "The dinner was held within private quarters at one of the properties situated by their home at Kensington Palace."

Sister Pippa and brother-in-law Harry were both rumored to be planning an all out rager for Kate, but according to The Daily Mirror, it was Guy Pelly, the nightclub owner and close friend of the royal couple, who arranged a more subdued evening centered on a multi-course meal prepared by one of Kate's favorite chefs.

So the party wasn't exactly a three-day marathon as is custom for Middleton's fellow countrymen ('ello Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell). As a future Queen, Kate's grown up faster than most in the final chapter of her '20s. Now she's poised to begin philanthropic work for a number of charities, in addition to playing unofficial ambassador for her native land.

It wouldn't be proper to wave around the spoils of her birthday, but rest assured there were spoils.

While palace officials won't release details on her personal presents, they have provided a detailed listing the gifts the Duke and Duchess received during their world travels in 2011.

Check out the honeymooners getting cozy on their North American trip.

Suffice it to say, they came home with a stocked bar. Champagne and whiskey were handed out to the couple in Canada. Port was par for the course in Portugal. In Morocco, the Prince received a dagger and an animal horn. In Kuwait he was gifted with a sword. Kate, who rarely accepts clothes or accessories, got her share of bracelets and earrings along with a gift shop worth of recipe books, soaps and scented candles. In California, Kate and Will were treated to iPads from the state's governor and a framed film still from the head of Sony Pictures.

All in all, there wasn't much left to get Kate that she didn't already have when her birthday came around. Still some fellow celebrities tried their best. Kim Kardashian sent a video birthday card, announcing a special edition line of heels in honor of the Duchess. An unconfirmed rumor earlier this week had Victoria Beckham designing an exclusive line of dresses and accessories for Kate. Neither can be considered selfless acts: everyone wants their fashion brand associated with the Middleton money machine.

More about The Kate Middleton Effect and how companies bank on her fashion choices.

Perhaps the most genuine birthday token Kate received from a celebrity came from another Kate. Ms. Capshaw, Steven Spielberg's wife was sitting next to her highness at the premiere of War Horse, only hours before her 30th birthday. According to Spielberg, Middleton welled up in the middle of the film and Capshaw sensed an impending make-up crisis. "I was sitting next to [Middleton] and all I know is at one point my wife, who was sitting to my right...passed [her] a Kleenex," Spielberg told BBC News. A handkerchief might have been better suited for royalty, but it's the thought the counts.

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