When did Prince William really begin to put some daylight between himself and the Middletons? I still think it goes back to Tatler’s “Catherine the Great” cover story last year, when Kate wanted her PR to be that she’s “the kingmaker” and William would be nothing without her buttons and keenness. Tatler made sure to include Rose Hanbury’s name and a lot of shadiness towards Kate’s family too and the whole thing turned into a massive PR debacle. In the year that followed, Kate continued to lean into this “Kate the Keen Kingmaker, Top CEO, Lynchpin Guevara, Peacemaker Extraordinaire” storyline. And William doesn’t want it. That storyline doesn’t benefit him or his Future King plans. So he’s been disentangling himself and the Middletons are getting increasingly hysterical as they try to bring him back into the fold.
Why am I bringing this up? Apparently, Pippa Middleton and her husband, Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews, were at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night for the England v. Denmark Euro semifinal. The Daily Mail thoughtfully noted that Pippa and James were not invited to the VIP Box to watch the match with Pippa’s brother-in-law.
Pippa Middleton cut an elegant figure as she joined her husband James Matthews to cheer on England at Wembley last night. The mother-of-two, 37, opted not to wear a football shirt and instead chose a cream blouse and baby pink culottes, which she paired with tan wedges, to watch the Three Lions triumph in the Euro 2020.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s sister arrived alongside her billionaire husband, 45, leaving children Arthur, two, and newborn Grace at home, and could be seen queuing alongside punters to enter the event.
Pippa’s brother-in-law the Duke also attended the match last night, although the couple did not join him in his box. Meanwhile Kate Middleton was unable to attend, having been forced to self-isolate after she came into contact with someone who tested positive – despite being double-jabbed and testing negative for the virus herself.
Terribly Moderately Wealthy James is not a billionaire! Fake news! The whole reason I call him TMW James is because the Middleton Propaganda endlessly repeated that James was and is “terribly rich.” When people finally began to assess James’ actual worth, yes, he’s wealthy and he comes from a wealthy family but he’s not a billionaire!
As for Pippa and James not getting into the VIP Box. I understand the explanation/excuse, which is that the section is for VIPs, royals and politicians. That’s all true. But it still feels notable that Prince William and his sister-in-law were at the same event and they apparently didn’t sit together, see each other or speak to each other? Are the Middletons out in the cold?
Pippa Middleton and husband James kept a low-profile as they queued with punters to cheer on the Three Lions at Wembley https://t.co/vFcN5GLbZs
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) July 8, 2021
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
The red dress in the top picture is cute. If i were prince william, i would sit together with my family in law who i reportedly get along with so well. Not in the royal box but i would join them in the regular seats. Would immediately score me extra pr points too. “Look at how normal he is. Sitting with other peasants”.
@Pao I would say both William and Charles lack the empathy for such a move. Such a simple move would go a long way towards people being comfortable with you yet so hard for them to pull off.
Seriously, easy no-brainer “man of the people” goodwill move that would help popularize him without doing much at all.
He doesn’t want to be a man of the people. He wants to be the man OVER the people.
It’s too hard to act peasant for William. It’s an extra effort he doesnt feel like he needs to do. And he also wants to be different becuase he is future king willie
Well, not surprised. William was the one responsible for her missing out on so many opportunities after the wedding. They kept trying to micromanage her and how her job will reflect on the monarchy. One of the networks here in the US offered her 600 thousand to act as some kind of fashion something, she had to turn it down because William said no.
Now she is left managing her husbands charity. SMh
@AD
Or pippa isnt well spoken and wasnt qualified for that job? Remember the book she released? Embarrassingly obvious suggestions
@ AD, not true, NBC gave her a shot, but she had no personality and was rubbish at the job, just having an accent and sister of the future Queen consort, don’t cut it.
@Jan, agreed: she was given opportunities due to connections, but she’s a cardboard nobody…she hasn’t got an ounce of pzazz, style, personality, or anything to give. She’s a literal hanger-on.
I bet that being around happy couples depresses William. Avoid he must!
This is very curious but not as curious as it seems when I think on it. There have been rumors Pippa has distanced herself from her family when she married James. She may not want a lot to do with the circus that surrounds her sister.
Interesting. I always thought Pippa’s value in the marriage market was connections to her BiL but is it possible Pippa and James are simply happy together.
Probably when she met James she didn’t need to be reliant on her mum and sis anymore. They look happy.
James Matthews’ father is a bit of a stain on the family as charges were laid by a woman who claimed he raped her in the 1980s, but the investigation was dropped, I gather there’s not enough evidence. He was arrested 14 months ago in Paris and is still under investigation for allegedly grooming and assaulting a 15-year-old on a French Caribbean island in 1998 and raping her in Paris a year later. Interesting that Ma Midd may have backed off friendlying with the Matthews but is still angling to get some title and standing in the BRF — her antipathy towards rapists doesn’t seem to apply to Prince Andrew.
You’re talking about Ma Mid who pushed her daughter into pursuing a prince within like minutes of Diana’s death. She’s not concerned about her daughter’s well being in that family, but totally different vibe when Pippa’s nouveau riche in-laws create scandal.
You sure Ma is distancing? I thought I read an article a while back about them vacationing at the FIL’s place after it was rebuilt post hurricane. James and his now fiancée were there, too, I think…?
And let’s not forget they purchased that huge property (petting zoo?) next to Pimp Mama in Buckleberry.
Yeah, that’s what I heard too. My co-worker’s mom’s family runs in those circles and the Matthews’ honeymoon trip was the joke of the entire social set for how thirsty it was and Pippa distanced herself from her family to get into the good graces of her husband’s family’s social set.
Excuse me, is this the same Pippa who stalked the richest noble guys? Or the same Pippa who tried to push *Pippa and Harry are dating !* narrative?
Frankly, I’ve always wondered if at least part of the animus from the Middletons toward Meghan is that she got in the way of Pippa and Ma Midd’s fantasy of two daughters in Buckingham Palace, even if one of them was the junior royal.
Poor Harry. I can just see him needing help for his emotional issues, and Pippa telling him to suck it up, and Ma Midd offering him some cheesy toast. “C’mon, Harry! Your brother loved it!”
Have Pippa and James ever been seen out with Will? Outside of Middleton vacations and Wimbledon is Pippa seen that much with Kate?
Not a lot since Pippa got married and Charlotte was born. That year Pippa, Kate, and Meghan went to Wimbledon is the first time in quite some time that we saw those two together publicly. There’s been some rumors Ma Middleton was not happy with Pippa’s choice to marry James and Pippa has distanced herself from the family.
Why? He’s incredibly wealthy ( if the rumors are to be believed) and doesn’t he have a scottish title? Seems ok to me.
Is it because he’s not titled (I know he’s got that Scottish title but that was literally bought)? But didn’t the aristos say “no thank you” when Pippa was looking for suitors so it’s not like she had a choice (although her and her husband seem happy)
@sofia personally i think pippa looks happier with her life than kate. She’s living the life of a rich housewife. Something i think kate would have wanted.
@Pao, I’ve always said that Pippa got the last laugh because she gets to be rich and redesign her home and go on vacations and jaunt about town lunching and shopping and nobody cares. No courtiers to deal with, no press, no pesky having to cut ribbons and create fake projects in order to pretend you give a crap about the people you’re living off of. Pippa definitely got the better deal.
A story I heard from my Aunt Irina (who hasn’t steered me wrong yet and was the one who told me Harry and Meghan wanted out): Apparently Pippa and James were the love-match but Carole wanted her with Harry. When Harry gave a “hard no,” Carole offered Pippa up to the aristocratic crowd, even started haranguing my cousin Alex and his mom to date her (and they are at the bottom of the totem pole as that family is only “aristocrats in exile”). Pips apparently had no interest in anyone other than James (and apparently their thing was going on for a lot longer than everyone realized). Finally Carole gave up on Pippa and let her marry James and apparently Pippa and Carole don’t really talk to this day.
Pipa has a healthy amount of ego-separation from an overbearing mother—good for her! Kate isn’t even living her own life and that is really sad.
@NotSoSimpleTaylor: Huh. I’m not surprised that James and Pippa are happy but I am surprised that Pippa and Carole don’t speak much anymore. Then again, Pippa didn’t seem particularly co-dependent on Carole anyways. Also she definitely did try and bag an aristo. That’s why she was with George Percy for a bit (but apparently they never dated, it was just media speculation lol). But I have heard that James was into Pippa for a while and once she realised she’s not going to marry an aristo, she started to seriously consider him. Worked out well I would say
@Pao: Yes I agree.
@NotSoSimpleTaylor I love the inside gossip about Pippa and James being a love match. But CarolE has been to Eden Rock with Pippa and James since they got married so they have patched things up apparently. Maybe Pippa doesn’t let CarolE control her life the way Kate lets her.
@NotSoSimpleTaylor – your cousin Alex is an aristo in exile? ooo dishy!
@ElleV My family on my mother’s side has technically been “aristos in exile” for over 100 years in 5 different countries. It’s nothing special, we’re a bunch of people loosely associated because anyone with our last name got tossed out of Eastern Europe 100 years ago and my family tree goes back pretty far. My relatives with the bigger bloodlines were given titles and land in England, Denmark, France, Italy and Germany. My great-grandmother was a bastard but was so I’m low on the pole and glad of it. King Frederick did do the honors of legitimizing my grandmother for reasons.
As for the rest, I just know that Carole pissed off a lot of people with her Pippa antics. Whatever things with the family are at the point isn’t anyone’s business but just because Carole has seen Pippa doesn’t mean things between them are patched up. Carole knows when to make an appearance for appearances sake. She’s not stupid. Carole only makes time for daughters that listen to her.
I always got the sense that moderately wealthy James really liked Pippa and that he was there waiting out Pippa going for aristos. And to be honest having a husband who likes you is something Pippa’s sister does not have and that has more value than any title.
But she does need to burn those wedges. She’s been wearing the same version of them for years.
Thanks for all of the insight into Pippa. It sounds like Pippa and Harry are living the lives their siblings wished they were living.
Your cousin would’t happen to be Alex Loudon, the former cricketer? Pippa dated him for awhile and he broke up with her in 2011, I think shortly after Kate and William’s wedding. I realize Alex is a common name but I found the coincidence interesting.
I don’t think she’s distanced herself since she and James bought property in Bucklebury very recently.
I can buy that James was not what her mother wanted but it’s not like there was anyone else on the horizon after she broke up with her hedge fund boyfriend Nico Jackson after three years, and she was getting on in years in Mama Middleton’s mind, I’m sure.
The Middletons have always been toxic and enmeshed and I can’t see how this would change that and change Pippa’s mind. Carole was there in St Bart’s frolicking alongside Pippa and the rest in Christmas 2019.
Carole was encouraging Pippa to hang around titled wealthy men all the way back when she was at Edinburgh. Pippa bagging George Percy as a flatmate then was a big thing for Carole. But the aristo mothers said NO.
There were also those pap photos of Kate showing up alone to Ma Middleton’s birthday party at Pippa and James’ home. Kate was wearing a longish dress and hiding behind her hair and didn’t look happy to be papped arriving. Will did not attend the intimate family party. Ma Middleton must have been crushed that her faux son didn’t care enough to celebrate her day. Anyway, Pippa hosted the party for CarolE.
If Ma middleton is just like her long lost twin Kris Jenner then that would mean she too diverts all her attention to her daughter that’s the biggest cash cow whilst neglecting the rest. I think Pippa probably grew up as the star in her family, the one Ma thought would do well, but Kate went the distance for her.
She probably blames Pippa for not bagging a titled aristo whilst Kate is the apple of her eye now. I think the dynamic between Ma, keen and Pippa is probably messed up and I blame Ma for picking favourites depending on who delivers.
I also remember hearing that Kate’s parents are separated and Mike has a gf. So the middletons seems to be a mess.
Oh lord no. My cousin is not Alex Loudon. My cousin Alex is actually a pretty well off financial planner in Manchester. I wouldn’t be surprised if he worked or was friends with Alex Loudon.
This little tidbit of Aunt Irina’s tea was from back in 2015 after some run-ins some of my English cousins had with the Middletons. The word my aunt used to describe the whole situation was “shiesty.” So after 6 years I would expect Pips has some kind truce with her family and she can be in the same room as her mother and not have it devolve into a shouting match. As dysfunctional as the Mids are, for better or for worse, they do all seem to have somewhat of a semblance of closeness. Which is more than I can say for a lot of families all over the world.
Also I was not aware Pips was moving or had moved closer to Bucklebury. It really makes me think if Kate is moving there and all the rumors we’ve heard, the family feels a need to be coalescing around her. They also seem pretty passive aggressively pissed at William which makes me think things are pretty bad there and Kate is being booted to the sidelines at best. I’m beginning to rethink my stance on “they will never divorce” because I think William is about to throw all of them under the bus and Kate and the Mids are about to take the blame for the palace “leaks” against Meghan and Harry.
Pippa was marginalized by the royal family a long time ago, when she became an embarrassment to them (parading in see-through material, waiving a gun around in a convertible for “fun,” failed influencer career, chasing any male who stood to inherit a title). This was long before her marriage. I think that’s *why* she ended up with her husband, her attempts to enter the aristocracy and be seen as royal adjacent, failed.
I got nothing – except are those really culottes or just wide-leg pants? And I’m not caught up on Pippa – has she done something to her face?
Me too–this feels like one of those no-win stories–if she’d sat with her in laws, there’d be shade about that as well. I’ve never seen a positive word on the Middletons here but I’ve always quite liked them.
The Middleton sisters have aged like milk. Yikes.
I never thought about it but I agree that the Tatler piece probably did cause some tension between William and the Middletons. He had to get the Palace’s lawyers to clean up that mess and it brought a lot of unwanted attention and embarrassment. However it does show that all the complaints about Meghan are really projection. The Middletons are the real attention seekers, bullies and gold diggers. Btw Kate’s parents are in the royal box at Wimbledon today and Pippa is also in the stands. It really pays for Kate to be the Patron of Wimbledon.
The middletons in the royal box? Lol remember when people lost it at Doria sharing a car with meghan and harry because she wasn’t a royal? I think this was for megs cookbook launch?
CarolE looks awful in that red dress! It’s NOT flattering at all (nor is that hat). Michael, however, looks *very* dapper. Pip and James look good, too.
Maybe they didn’t tell William they were going? Or maybe there is tension. Would explain the Midds PR recently
The tatler article may have been the beginning of the end, but it also coincided with Sussexit. The article came out just a few months after, and it’s been said here before that Kate, William, and the midds all had a common goal while Harry and Meghan were around, which was to smear, ruin, and exile. Once sussexit was over, that bonding over a shared goal was done along with the slow realization that they royally f*cked up and miscalculated. The tatler article was the first public reveal of those cracks.
Come to think of it, Middleton PR has been weird and shown itself becoming unhinged SINCE the Tatler article. I think you’re right.
Pippa getting papped at the game seems odd. I think she called the paps so people would know that she wasn’t isolating and didn’t expose Kate.
nice take on this. i was thinking that in support of kate becuase she wasnt gonna be around for 10 full days – they had to come out and have a middleton moment in the press, so we never forget how forgettable Kate is.
I think there are two reasons they aren’t seen together much anymore First, James Matthews has a rep for being low key. He reportedly distanced himself from his own reality star brother also. Though he is in those same aristocratic social circles he doesn’t seem to clout chase. And he seems to actually work. Unlike many in that social circle who have jobs that essentially allow them to come and go. There have never been reports that he was particularly close to the middletons or Kate. Unlike Edo, he doesn’t seem interested in being known for being royal adjacent. It always interesting to me that Pippa almost never gets papped when she is with him. And she gets papped much less since she got married. Thats what made the euros event stand out. I always thought that was part of their deal. Get the ring; tone down the tabloid cooperation. Also, There were two VERY serious allegations made against David Matthews in 2018 ( Pippa’s father-in-law ) that were later dropped because of legal technicalities (statute of limitations). It didn’t get a lot of coverage even though police stated they believed the alleged accusers had a case. So the BRF would have wanted to steer clear of that. I think Kate and Pippa are still close they probably just see each very low key. Actually, was thinking that it was maybe a visit to Pippa that led to Kate’s COVID exposure which would explain why William a d George weren’t directly exposed but obviously that’s not the case.
Can’t blame her for keeping her distance. Her husband is a businessman who doesn’t need the UK press in his business under the guise of royal connection.
There was scandal regarding her father in law a few years back. It was in the news for few days and then nothing more was ever mentioned, that’s when I knew Meghan wasn’t being protected. If that story was squashed, the Royals with all their alleged top PR and lawyers should have been able to stop the daily attacks on Meghan.
Pippa after K&W’s wedding tried to use her 15 minutes to build a brand and Willam put a stop to it. It was presented as William not wanting it to appear that Pippa was profiting from her royal connection but in truth I think it was because Pippa was getting more attention then Kate who at the time was refusing to do any work.
She may also not appreciate how her mother tried to push her into marrying an aristo. My impression is that it gave her a bit of a reputation. For a while, it seems she was at every society wedding and the press never failed to mention that she dated the groom. Whether it was one date or 20 it made it seem like she got around.
Good point how you say that if pippa’s FIL story was squashed then they really weren’t protecting Meghan. I wonder if KP or William squashed it or if the middletons were able to squash it on their own through their media connections and royal adjacency. Seems like the Middletons really have been quite entrenched with the media. Like obviously they are but maybe to the point that it is threatening to the palace. I’ve been pretty convinced that there will be a possible divorce at some point solely based on the fact that William doesn’t seem to want to be around his wife at all. But a lot of this could be just putting the middletons in their place and clipping kate’s wings even more.
I think Kate and Pippa have been distant for years, ever since Pippa was running to every outlet for her “coming-of-age socialite” campaign, which was desperate. Her interview with Matt Lauer was the last straw imo. Just based on what I know about the Cambridges, especially now, they did not approve of Pippa running her own show. Pippa, equally, had no interest in being told what to do on account of who her sister married. James Matthews wasn’t her first choice, but she married him for his money and set up her own household.
As an aside, it’s telling that the middletons are out and about while Kate is quarantined. They don’t want us to forget them!
The older she gets the more she looks like Stephanie Zimbalist to me, especially the photo in the green dress and hat. I find her a very blah person.. looks, personality, accomplishments all 😕 blah..
Maybe now that Stephanie Zimbalist is 64.
My view on Pippa, given that I’ve never even met her, is that she has the best life. Her and James not having to wait to go to the game because they MUST sit in the VIP area is just another example of that. Could any of the those aristos or VIPs actually sit with the peasants? No, they would never and subsequently they’d have to miss out on watching the game they wanted to see. Pippa and her husband can do what they want, when they want to – attend big events or not, talk to the media or not, disclose their financial situation or not. Pippa can wear whatever she wants, no matter how expensive or flashy it is, if she likes it, she can. Add to that the fact that they seem to be getting along with her husband and money is not a issue, well! To me that’s a perfect situation. And she has always had money – she had some sort of career and tried a few things but it was never a necessity for her. There’s a huge difference between wanting to do something and having to do it.
I also always got this impression that Pips has one of those easy going personalities that let people like her coast through life. Of course it helps when your family has money and even in your 20s you don’t have to worry about rent and food (that apartment on Kings street was heavenly!). But if mentally you are kind of chill, life is good, really good.
She tried being a chat show host in the US. Didn’t work so here she is. She wasn’t particularly interesting in her Matt Lauer interview. Her party planning book bombed and was widely mocked. Her life is great but let’s not act like she totally wanted this from the beginning. But I’m sure she’s happy she’s got this life instead of the one she really wanted – titled and wealthy.
I wouldn’t call her easy going. She was hustling hard after the wedding, trying to capitalize on her fame and land George Percy. That didn’t happen. To me, all the Middletons have huge egos except maybe their dad. They aren’t content with being wealthy and connected. They obviously seek fame and status.
I can’t imagine those two articles by Kate’s Uncle Gary helped the situation. Someone gave Gary the ‘okay’ to ramble on about how angelic and perfect Kate is, and somehow I don’t think that ‘someone’ was William.
My impression has always been that her mother fawned and focused on Kate when they were teenagers and Pippa was probably left out. Anything she did do probably never mattered to her mother because “Kate is going to marry a prince!!” At the wedding Pippa got some attention for her (nonexistent) behind and Ma Middleton went running to her side. Pippa played along because she was finally getting her mother’s attention but it was never never good enough so she finally said F-U mom! and married who she wanted to.
I agreed. But also pippa benefit on that too. She was always photographed party and leaving clubs with Kate. So, she did get a lot of attention. Now on her childhood. When Kate was engaged there was a lot of articles talking about how pippa was popular and everything was easy in school for her in opposite of Kate she was always sick and also she was bullied. I feel kate would have gotten her mother’s attention like that. When I was reading those articles I was understanding as Kate wants the attention and she loves it. But doesn’t like the Criticism that comes with that. She loves being William’s gf and the attention she would get out of that but enjoyed pippa doing all the talking and socializing for the both of them. So I feel her mother gave her a lot of attentions because she always played the fragile. Trust me I have alot people like that. They passively manipulated me like there is no tomorrow. Maybe pippa grew resentful to both her sister and mother and now she living her best life with husband and kids.
If William was dating pippa “hypothetically” and had a break up they would stayed break up. Because pippa doesn’t give this fragile vibe… look I am being bullying by the media etc. even thought Kate went out a lot after the break up and was photographed. You can tell Kate was using the media on her earliest days
I didn’t even know Pippa had a second child!
Right after Kate and Wm married, I got the impression that it was Harry who had expressed interest in Pippa and she was not interested. Read that in more than one article back then. Anyone else recall that?. It was very brief and not widely reported.
He was so interested in her, that he put a statement kiboshing the middleton’s spin.
Put an end to the gossip fast enough.
It was never Harry, it was Middleton PR pushing that hard.
Harry had to make a public statement that he wasn’t interested at all
Pippa looks good and back to her pre pregnancy size. She appears to be happy
If and when Kate becomes Queen, could momanager self style herself as Queen Mother?