Pippa Middleton, one of the world’s most famous scene-stealing bridemaids is heading up the aisle herself next year.
Little sis of the Duchess of Cambridge is engaged to 40-year-old hedge fund manager James Matthews. The pair had dated for a short time in 2012 before Pippa embarked on a three-year relationship with another financial high-flyer, stockbroker Nico Jackson.
32-year-old Pippa and Matthews have been reunited since November and currently share a €21m townhouse in London.
An insider told the Daily Mail that Matthews went trad with the proposal, even asking Pippa’s dad Michael for permission before taking his future bride on a romantic walk through the countryside.
“James is a traditionalist and very much wanted to do things properly. That meant getting his future father in law’s consent,” said the insider.
Pippa and Matthews have kept part two of their relationship low-key with just two public appearances in the last eight months, once during a ski trip and once more recently at Wimbledon.
The Matthews family own the exclusive Eden Rock Hotel & Villa Resort on St. Barths – so hopefully they’ll get a good deal on the honeymoon.
The happy union means that the younger brother of James Matthews, Spencer Matthews of reality show Made in Chelsea will now be very remotely related to the Royals. Spencer, who was kicked off I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! last year in suspicious circumstances related to steroid use, will probably provide endless hours of work in damage control for the Royal’s PR machine, especially as he plans to return to the jungle for this year’s season.
This could get interesting.
