Princess Kate’s Sister Pippa Middleton Loses 1 Battle With Her Neighbors
Pippa Middleton may be related to royalty, but those who live near her don’t believe she deserves special treatment.
Pippa is no stranger to disputes with her neighbors regarding Barton Court, the 145-acre West Berkshire, England estate where the Princess of Wales’ (formerly known as Kate Middleton) younger sister, her husband James Matthews, and their children reside.
First there was the footpath issue in which not just local residents but also walking charities clashed with Pippa and Matthews for blocking public pedestrian access along a road that crosses their property.
The estate’s previous owner, Sir Terence Conran, allowed access to the route for decades as it provided a vital link to a public footpath running to Kintbury and St. Mary’s Church. But after Pippa and Matthews moved in, they shut down the road and installed electric gates, blocking access to the footpath. “No Trespassing” signs were also put up.
The closure forced residents in the area to take a narrow country lane with no pavements. The couple insisted that they had to do that, citing security and privacy concerns with their family.
But the Daily Mail reported that dozens of residents, backed by The Ramblers Association, have demanded that the route be reopened to the public again. According to the Ramblers Association website, “Across Britain, people in less well-off communities are more likely to lack safe, accessible paths that connect them to green space near where they live. This isn’t just unfair, it’s unhealthy.”
Then there was the 50th birthday party Pippa threw for Matthews that several of their neighbors complained about. Prince William and Kate attended that bash, which Pippa’s neighbors claim got out of hand.
The party’s theme was “racy,” a nod to Matthews’ passion for motorsports as he is a former racing driver. Things began in the afternoon with a Spitfire (World War II-era fighter plane) flying right over their home. That alone rubbed many locals the wrong way, but then other happenings at the estate were heard far and wide, leading to plenty of noise complaints.
The party lasted into the early morning hours, with one resident who lives in the area saying they heard music and thumping still going at 1:30 a.m. Other neighbors described the party as “wild” and said it caused an “uproar,” leaving many “furious” and lashing out at Pippa, calling her “entitled” and “inconsiderate.”
Pippa and Matthews had another battle with neighbors over a parking lot they had built on their estate. The six-space parking lot was constructed on an open meadow and done so without planning permission.
Per the Independent, one neighbor said, “Ample parking already exists on the Barton Court estate. Additional parking is unnecessary. This application is to move unsightly parking out of sight of the applicants on entry to the Barton Court estate to the detriment of the residents and the heritage of Kintbury.” Another added that it would “worsen flooding,” and a third complained it was an “eyesore” and a “brutal interruption of the bucolic scene.”
Pippa and Matthews lost an appeal to keep the parking lot, and now they have to dig it up.
A decision on the footpath is expected in the coming weeks.
