Nearly two months ago exactly, Pippa Middleton got engaged to Terribly Rich™ James Matthews, a guy she originally dated several years ago, then they broke up, possibly fooled around while she was with Nico, then got back together last year. James is truly terribly rich, and most of the people around Pippa are breathing a sigh a relief that she won’t be hustling all over the place nowadays. She landed a rich guy, so now she gets to settle into a peaceful, quiet life of shopping and some charity work. It’s the life that the Duchess of Cambridge wanted only the mean old queen keeps forcing her to “work”!! In any case, I was surprised to learn that Pippa does have a second book coming out. Her first book, Celebrate, totally bombed and gave birth to the glory that was #PippaTips. Pippa got a huge advance for Celebrate, but the second book is just for heart-healthy recipes, and the proceeds of the book are going to charity.
To promote the book, Heartfelt, Pippa sat down with the Daily Mail for her first official interview. I would suggest that you just go read the whole thing, because there are so many fascinating asides within the piece, like Pippa waving her ring around, the fact that James Matthews designed the ring, that Pippa agreed to an interview at “a discreet hotel in the shadow of Kensington Palace,” and that her voice is “surprisingly less plummy than that of her sister.” Considering Kate’s strangled-sounding fake-posh accent, that’s not a surprise. Some assorted quotes from the piece:
Becoming famous because of Kate’s marriage: “I have had a few years of being in the public eye and I have developed something of a thick skin. But managing it all on my own has been quite hard. I have quite a lot thrown at me, such as being followed by people hiding behind cars and jumping out with cameras. It can be unnerving. There’s always something cropping up and that has to be managed on my own. It’s been a real eye-opener for James. There have been quite a few hurdles to negotiate. I guess it’s become the new normal for us. It means there are factors we have to weigh up and think about, but we try not to let it affect us. I try not to be too sensitive about things because it’s just a bit of life I have to deal with. But I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect me.”
She hopes this cookbook will change her narrative: “People see me as someone privileged who has used my position to advantage; that I don’t really work, that I am a socialite – that word really irritates me – and that I’m a party girl without any substance.”
The failure of her first book: “I believed in it and I can’t blame anyone else, but maybe it might have been better if I had waited a bit longer before doing it.”
She cooks for her fiancé: In the book, Pippa writes that one of the ways to a man’s heart is through his stomach. It certainly worked for her. Early on in her relationship with James she made one of her favourites, halibut with roast tomato and herb dressing. “I am sure he might choose a different dish as his favourite, but it was a very special dinner for us. You roast the Halibut and serve it with lentils. It’s delicious. James loves it…. It’s nice to go out but it’s nicer to entertain at home.”
How she was raised: “We were taught to eat properly and to eat together as a family three times a day. As children we didn’t have anything different, we always ate what our parents ate. My mother and father took the view, and I agree, that you don’t need to make different food for children. We had to eat everything on our plate and not be fussy about food. There were times when I would be sitting at the table after lunch or dinner, having not eaten something because I decided I didn’t like it and actually remaining there until I had eaten it. We had to stay at the table until we had eaten everything. There were no exceptions. And in the end I liked everything because I had to.”
Her work: “I work very hard. I’m true to my values. I just try to live a normal life like many of my friends.” So what does a normal life entail? Every morning, five days a week, she cycles from her fiance’s home in Chelsea, to a rented office space in South Kensington that she shares with other young people. Once there she divides her time between writing a column for Waitrose Kitchens and occasional pieces for society glossy Vanity Fair. And working for a number of charities such as the British Heart Foundation, as well as the Mary Hare School for the deaf and Disability Snowsport UK. “People seem to think I must have lots of support helping me but I don’t, it’s just me.”
She & James are both active: “I think James and I have the same spirit. We are both competitive. We have had many adventures together. We have a lot in common and that helps. I don’t think it would work with a couch potato…I think we do exhaust most people.”
My favorite part is where Pippa insists that she’s works “very hard,” then details her schedule… like, she writes maybe one column a month and she does some charity work. That’s it. She works out a lot. She goes on vacation a lot. She put together a recipe book… but she took contributions from other people for it. That’s it. So… “I’m true to my values.” As we can see with both Pippa and Kate, the Middleton values are somewhat different than other kinds of family values.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
“I work Very Hard”…….. at Tanning *takes pic with two phones to prove my hard workiness*
Right?
I saw the title and just thought “bitch please, you don’t even know what work is”
TWO phones! I bet even The Queen isn’t on TWO phones at the same time!!!!1
But Pips Is, One has to work two phones- hard at Landing Tuuuhhhrrrribly Rich Men
I like Pippa. Yes, her life is cushy but at the end of the day she’s a private citizen and doesn’t owe us anything. I doubt she works as hard as most of us, but I’ll bet she’s working harder than her sister.
This is true!
As long as she is single, Pippa will be accused of trading on her sister’s connections, no matter what she does. Once she marries her terribly wealthy suitor, she will have more options.
My thoughts exactly! I bet she is still working harder than Kate. And her charitable sporting activities do seem to be the real thing.
One of the hallmarks of privilege seems to be an incapacity to see just how many hands up you have had along the way. Also, being ‘annoyed’ at being labeled as something does not implicitly mean that label is inaccurate.
Well said
I don’t see where Pippa is saying she is a self made woman. She is dismissing the notion that all she does is lounge around eating bon bons all day.
I am white, American and come from a working class background. My family were hard working and educated, but not well off. I remember the welfare cheese and peanut butter. I have been working since I was 13, worked my way through high school and college. And you can be damn well sure I know just how amazingly privileged I am, and how much was handed to ME, when I look at the big picture. Mostly because of the 3rd and 4th words I wrote at the start of this post.
The old “born on third base, but thinks he hit a triple”.
Yes dear, of course you work hard at being socialite with a part time career, thou i won’t shade her for her consistent commitment to charity – its more than her sister with the plummy accent does.
Food seems to be a bit of a thing with the Middleton women – its something both sisters seem to obsess over; whether it be writing books, following the latest fad diet or having multiple kitchens added into your home, it doesn’t seem particularly healthy to me. But then it sounds like this is something that Carole instilled in them as children – as she herself seems to be preoccupied with food/dieting (Carole famously encouraged Kate to go on the Atkins Diet when her engagement was announced – they did it together).
Out of the 2 sisters i prefer Pippa – she seems the more likeable and, dare i say, relatable one. I kinda have a little soft spot for her.
…that stuff about eating everything is scary…more sensitive persons might have developed an eating disorder…cant say posh people arent tough….
Actually, I’ve noticed that the “eat what you’re served, eat everything on your plate” ethos (in US) is historically more of a working class thing. My grandparents, who lived through the WWI, great depression, and WWII did not believe in making a fuss about food or letting any of it go to waste. My parents loosened up the rules, offering more variety at mealtimes, but still limited snacking. As a parent, I focus more on teaching nutrition and portion size control. I agree about not fixing special meals for non-allergic children, though. Any British people here to comment on this?
The ethos of ‘eating everything on your plate/don’t waste food’ is born out of WW2 food deprivation and rationing.
Food was rationed in Britain from 1939 to 1954. Given the limited supply of food, people couldn’t waste it or indulge in fripperies like fussy/picky/disordered eating. There was no choice.
Carole Middleton was born at the tail end of rationing and raised by people who had lived through it.
Those 2 generations of people were raised with that ethos and most parents of that vintage tried to do the same for their children.
Our current 2 generations have been raised with plenty of food and indulgence such that it’s considered child torture to insist children who have no medical issues with food should eat their food or eat what they are given.
For societies like refugee camps or famines, where food is somewhat rationed, you’ll find the same WW2 attitude prevailing.
It can be tricky to find that balance between not wasting food and kids being super-picky and demanding about what they eat and making them eat *everything* on the plate whether they are hungry or not just on principle. My son hates poultry for whatever reason. OK. I do make a turkey and ham on Thanksgiving but if we are at relatives for the holiday and there’s just turkey, oh well. He can eat stuffing and potatoes and cranberries. And the rest of the family isn’t going to never eat chicken because he doesn’t like it. If I make a chicken meal, he’s welcome to eat a salad. But I do encourage them to at least *try* different foods before dismissing them out of hand–especially since we are living in Europe for 3 years and traveling and there’s so much to try out. At least if there’s something they don’t want to finish, it doesn’t go to waste. My hubby, who never gains a pound, will hoover up the leftovers!
You sometimes can’t tell that people have medical issues with food until they’ve been harmed by it for while though. A subset of gastrointestinal diseases are asymptomatic until the symptoms of various nutrient deficiencies start showing up. Plus there’s all the current research coming out about the gut microbiota and how that can influence food choices. I guess it can be difficult to tell whether a child is just ‘picky’ or whether they have an undiagnosed medical issue. I was forced to eat everything on my plate and it ended up being the case that I do have gastrointestinal issues and malabsorbed nutrients for years because of that. Other people who have been branded ‘picky’ eaters have told me they actually had undiagnosed allergies, or illnesses that have been connected to food intolerances and gut microbiome dysfunction, like eczema, etc.
Just because it’s your child, doesn’t mean they have the same taste buds and reactions to foods that you do (general you). Why should their tastes be ignored? At the same time, children really can be picky, and new food has to be offered multiple times before they develop a taste for it. I dunno, I wouldn’t ignore my child’s tastes and brand them as difficult just for having a different palate than other people.
Tiresome. Just shows how out of touch she & her sister) are. Sad part is in her head she believes it – that cycling to the ‘rented office’ (rented by whose mummy & daddy?), stopping for a latte, meeting her friends there, writing the occasional column about a party she went to, in between lunches and going to the gym. Come on people, that’s hard! Kind of reminds me of when Gisele Bundchen posted a picture of herself breastfeeding while getting her hair done, manicure etc and had the nerve to suggest she was multitasking! Most women would’ve called that picture a day at the spa! Just like most of us would call Pippa’s work a nice day off with a hobby..
But yes – at least she does some charity work – and at least it doesn’t seem to be funded by the taxpayers…
Has anyone noticed that since her engagement to terribly Rich James Matthews, Pippa has stopped wearing her signet ring?
That outfit is the first she’s worn since her bridesmaid’s dress that looks amazing on her and gives her a measure of elegance.
+1000000 a+ for the outfit
I agree–love the outfit. She’s slim but also has a sporty figure. This really flatters her.
I dunno, am I the only one here kind of rooting for pips? Must be hard being in the shadow of your more famous, taller and prettier sister. The fact that she’s snagged a rich good looking bloke in her mid-thirties to boot makes her inspirational to me and single girls all over, haha. Go on Pips, you got this!!
I’m right there with you. I imagine it’s been a bit hard being Kate’s sister for the last decade or so, seeing as how Kate’s primary job was being Will’s girlfriend for so long and the effort was clearly a family effort. They seem close and have a great relationship, but she’s absolutely in her sister’s shadow. I know I probably shouldn’t feel bad for her, but I do.
But didn’t Pippa put all her efforts into Kate getting fit and looking great when Wills dumped Kate for those precarious few months. I am sure that Pips had made every effort like her mother to get Kate back with Wills. I don’t think shadow ever enters their minds, they were all supporting by what the papers hinted. I mean Kate was out partying with Pippa looking gorgeous and getting out of taxis with their lovely legs showing all the way to the top of the thighs. It seemed like a solidarity thing.
I imagine it’s been hard being Kate’s sister because Kate needs alot of looking after and support NOT because Pippa is in Kate’s shadow.
Stories from their school days, from post college days, the waitying GF years about their relationship have always highlighted how much Pippa supported Kate and or how much Kate needed the support. Not in a sisters together sort of way, but one sister, Pippa, propping up the other, Kate.
Yes and it’s strange that the dynamic seems to have changed since Kate got the ring, Pippa seems to have had more freedom to live her own life rather than prop up a sister who can’t function on her own with Carole stepping up more.
It seems that with the Middletons it’s always been about Kate and her needs.
Carole missed a trick in her quest to live vicariously through her children. If Kate was always the fragile one she should have g
Carole missed a trick in her quest to live vicariously through her children. If Kate was always the fragile one she should have made Pips chase after Will. She might have gotten the job done sooner and she would be miles better at duchessing than Kate
It’s hard to have people in your life that you love, but that it’s always about them and what they need. Pippa seems pretty easygoing and fun and it must be exhausting to have a sister like Kate (no matter how much you love them).
I kinda get the feeling that Pippa has never felt in Kate’s shadow. Pippa seems like an alpha girl and a good deal less delicate and petulant than her sister. Kate had to have a bit of petulant in her to be compatible with Will!
I imagine it was fine until the wedding. Prior to then, I actually don’t think Pippa was in Kate’s shadow (or at least didn’t it as such).. Kate had more press and attention, but that’s actually a bad thing. Pippa got to live her life. And that’s great because by all accounts, she’s more fun than Kate.
Uncle Gary confirmed in an interview that Pippa is the more lively one and *naturally* good at most things she does, in both sports and education. He said things came easily to Pippa and it was Kate that had to work hard and focus on achievement.
If Pips has always been good at *everything* she does, no wonder it was difficult for her to comprehend she *might* not be good at writing professionally -and needed help. She was all
“Nah, Editors who’ve-earned-your-position-and-don’t-have-a-sister-who-married royalty, I got this!”
Whoops.
She really talks as if all the press on her is not of her own doing. smh.
You may be in your elder sister’s wedding lookin’ fine (5 years ago!) but you don’t *accidentally* pose for multiple Hello Mag covers, try out for NBC TV, and release a book because -Whoops!
It was all on purpose. And thats ok! Just OWN it.
I wanna hear *that* interview.
EXCLUSIVE! Pippa Middleton is out for exploiting every money-making, attention-getting, sporting event from here to China!!
Now. On to the wedding to Terribly Rich whats-his-name.
No, I liked her DM interview – she comes across as relatable. I’m sure that, once the initial thrill of being a pap target is over, it’s tedious as hell. i wish her luck!
I can’t believe someone honestly thought it would be a good idea for her to write another book. Most of her columns were dropped because there was no interest in them. I know it’s for charity but I highly doubt anyone’s going to care.
Didn’t she and or the middletons hire a pr firm as well. We got a big increase in pr friendly articles Not long after. And James’ brother has been in the public eye for years before her and James hooked up for the first time- it was even mentioned on made in Chelsea.i highly doubt any of it was a huge shock especially after she turned up at a charity gig hiding her hand after leaking to the daily mail that you were engaged. People don’t really care about James anyway.
Okay rant over!
Paul Dacre – Editor in Chief of the Daily Fail has a close Middleton family friend and PR advisor hence all the favourable PR articles about them in that rag and why its their go to tabloid for ‘leaking’ stories or ‘floating’ ideas i.e. Carole and Mike getting the long cherished title. They get a rawer deal on the website which is a different editorial entity from the print side but still sometime the web site have to run the sugar stories.
I’m sure in her circle, that is considered working hard.
Both Middleton women seem strangely obsessed with food and exercise. I do wonder if Pippa is at all worried about her sister’s unhealthy weight loss.
It seems you should either be a socialite OR try to connect with the common people. Don’t try to do both.
Just been reading a couple of accounts of a certain company whose employees regularly hide their tears in the restroom, on top of the minimum wage. Pippa Middleton has never been treated unkind by anyone in her life, never been judged or worried about having been five minutes late because the bus was late. There is a reason her output is laughed at.
I agree. She really doesn’t have a clue. That’s fine if she just ran with it and acknowledged it. After all, plenty of us would choose to work less / not at all if we had the money, I’m sure. But what bugs me is she actually thinks she’s a workhorse. It speaks volumes about who is in her circle. Maybe that is loads compared to them, but I almost guarentee it’s about 5% of my average work load. I bet she doesn’t have to agonise over how an earth she will get time off work for IVF (as I can only afford to do abroad), or keep working in a job that’s making you miserable because you can’t afford to leave or…. The list goes on.
I’m irritated at her irritation !
Oh, Pippa. Write a book about socializing and dating. It’s what you’ve worked hardest at, and it’s what everyone finds most impressive about you anyway. I’d buy it.
Carole should write a book about work ethic. Woman’s a freight train of hustle.
What did the Middletons do at these three meals together every day? Would Carole cook a large balanced meal and then watch as everyone pushed the food around on their plates?
It’s stunning that Kate and Pippa were born in the early 1980’s and not the 1880’s. Why would a woman like Carol Middleton, with all of her hustle, raise her daughters to focus on marrying rich? Why not instill the ethic in her girls that they should be able to support themselves financially?
Maybe because that was Carol’s own ambition but her “background” would not do, so she settled into hustling into a better economic future and then turned her daughters into Austen gentleman daughters.
Oh, and married a middle class man, leaving behind her working class roots.
Is it really so bad to be upwardly socially mobile? I side-eye the lack of work-ethic, but not the class jumping.
Mae:
I don’t care so much about people wanting to be upwardly mobile unless people cut themselves off from other possibilities. They never even dated men in their own sphere (which is pretty insulting to Mike, I should think,) and they dramatically curtailed their own career opportunities, esp. Kate. Also, because all Kate and Pippa’s hustle has been sexual (ambitiously dating) for social and financial benefit that makes them golddigging title-whores. I can accept that behavior, and place it within its historical context, but I can’t respect it.
Because her mother, “lady” Dorothy Goldsmith, always wanted to be the top brick in the chimney.
graymatters, there was never any question that either of the daughters would go after money. Pippa has never dated a man who wasn’t rich, would never marry one who wasn’t.
Pips had started growing on me. I mean, she is still super thirsty, but she isnt funded by taxpayers so she deserves a lot less shade than duchess flash-a-lot. She looks pretty in these photos, especially the last one. Not as orange as usual, only 2 Boehners
In the same interview Pippa mentioned she is accused by the fact people think she uses her royal connections for better chances in carrier and life in total. Sounds very strange to me…does she not realize if her sister married a carpenter the world had never heard of Pippa? All Middleton kids seam to have a huge degree of self entitlement.
I think the problem here is perception. Hers. She works harder than ANYONE SHE KNOWS. Which may be true. For the rest of us in the real world, however, she’s a bit, um, under-worked.
I kind of like her…I like that she is hard core at working out, the stuff she runs/races in is not fluff. She runs marathons and other ultra type races and that is not easy $hit, let me tell you. She participated in the bicycle across America event over here and that goes right by my house and that is seriously hard core, those people are true athletes… She was so nice to the spectators and over here, bicyclist can be kind of jerky and she took time to pose for pics with spectators and stop and speak to people. I do kind of like her. I can’t help it. Tan and all 🙂
Yes, and aren’t most of her endurance events in support of charities? She really is quite an athlete!
I agree. She’s using her passion (sports) to raise money and/or awareness for a lot of worthy causes. I find it hard to fault her for that.
By “I work hard” she means she fills her days with hobbies. And sometimes she doubles down at her hard work because she does a hobby and gets paid for it too by being a charity spokesperson or by pap-walking a product.
Interesting that she has the some “pose” as Diana, chin down while looking up. Her and her sister can’t stop copying William’s late mother and it’s getting kind of creepy.
One column a month? Must be nice. I’m currently on article #5 of 8 for a business series. Each with a minimum of three interviews and 800 words each. I started a week ago.
Who keeps green-lighting books by her? Charity or not, it’s just a no. NO. The point is to make money, esp for charity. NO. Her writing hasn’t gotten better over the years. NO!
And three meals a day as a family really? Were they coming home from school in the middle of the day to eat? Did they only sit together in school? That explains a lot actually.
haha I come from a close knit family and we only had dinner together. Breakfast was at different times and lunch was at school with our own set of friends. I never had lunch with my sister at school (unless we got a special treat and our mum would take us out to lunch with her)
Pippa is clearly wearing a wiglet/fall.
Strange how they didn’t get it together the first time – he obviously waited in the shadows