How Pippa Middleton went from being butt of the jokes to bagging a millionaire… we chart rise from THAT bridesmaid dress to today
The Duchess of Cambridge's sister has announced her engagement to James Matthews and the pair are set the tie the knot next year
THE country’s most eligible bachelorette is off the market.
Pippa Middleton, looked delighted yesterday after announcing her engagement to millionaire James Matthews.
Pippa, 32, sported her enormous sparkler, thought to be worth around £250,000 – more than sister Kate’s engagement ring, which cost £28,000 when it was bought in 1981 for Princess Diana.
The couple plan to marry next year – and royal watchers expect Prince George and Princess Charlotte to be page boy and flower girl.
Here, we look at Pippa’s transformation since captivating the world in THAT bridesmaid’s dress, and the man who captured her heart.
Her story: Working her way up from the bottom
THE eyes of the world should have been on Kate Middleton.
But as the Duchess of Cambridge walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey to wed her Prince on April 29, 2011, another star emerged — Kate’s sister Pippa and her shapely bottom.
Her pert posterior — shown off in a clingy Alexander McQueen frock — started a global frenzy.
No longer her big sister’s sidekick, Pippa became Her Royal Hotness.
Suddenly, hers was the prize name on every guest list. Whether it was a glitzy party, society wedding or upper- class sporting event, Pippa was in demand and loving it.
After studying English Literature at Edinburgh University, Pippa had gone into high-end PR as well as working at her parents’ party supplies business.
Now, with her new-found fame, newspaper columns came her way, as did an eye-watering £400,000 advance to write a book on entertaining.
The book, Celebrate, was a widely ridiculed flop, due to Pippa’s obvious observations, such as: “There is something very British about tea” and “put a pitcher of water and glasses on a nearby table or side table.”
Pippa, whose food experience seemed limited to nibbling canapes at parties, was hired by Waitrose magazine after the posh supermarket dropped cooking queen Delia Smith from its adverts. Readers were outraged — and Waitrose has since brought back Delia.
Last year Pippa filmed a series of reports for US talk programme Today.
But despite being offered £400,000 by the NBC channel, she decided against working full time in the States.
She is said to love being in the limelight. During Kate’s courtship with William, Pippa’s elder sister reportedly told her to keep a low profile.
And an interview with America’s Today show to publicise her book was said to have infuriated Buckingham Palace, with one source revealing: “They wish she would shut up.”
As for her relationships, Pippa certainly has a type — rich and handsome.
She dated banker Alex Loudon, 35, for three years until 2011. He didn’t enjoy the “circus” that went with dating someone so high-profile — but their split was blamed on his family thinking Pippa was not marriage material.
Prior to hedge-fund manager James, she spent three years on the arm of 36-year-old Nico Jackson — also a hedge fund manager.
Pippa has been with James for less than a year, although they had a fling in 2012. She moved into his £17million West London home in May.
James had asked Pippa’s parents Carole and Michael for their daughter’s hand ahead of his romantic proposal in the Lake District on Sunday.
Last night Pippa’s mum and dad said they were “thrilled” with the news, while Wills and Kate said they were “absolutely delighted”.
HOW SHE'LL PLAN BIG DAY
PIPPA gave us all a wealth of “useful” advice in her book, Celebrate.
Here, we imagine how she might write the sequel, filled with gems about how to plan the perfect wedding. . .
l Send out invitations prior to the big day. These can be different designs and colours, just make sure you include the venue and time.
l When deciding on a venue, it is essential to have a good idea of the number of guests you will have.
If you are planning to ask a lot of people to celebrate your nuptials, then you may want to think about hiring a larger venue to accommodate them.
l You will want to put careful consideration into your dress. Make sure it is flattering, just like my bridesmaid dress was. White is a good option here.
l During the speeches, your guests will want to toast your happiness. Help them out by asking waiters to fill their glasses with champagne.
l After the excitement of the wedding, it is a lovely idea to spend some quality time with your new husband on a honeymoon. St Barts is nice.
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His story: Super-rich bro of love rat Spencer
TALL, dark, handsome and extremely rich . . . it’s easy to see what attracted Pippa Middleton to James Matthews.
And their similar upbringings and shared love of sport have also given them plenty in common.
James, 40, is a hedge-fund manager. But like the Middletons, his family had ordinary beginnings.
His grandfather was a coalminer and his dad started out as a trainee mechanic in Rotherham, South Yorks. Pippa’s parents Carole and Michael worked as a flight attendant and flight dispatcher respectively, before setting up their successful mail order firm Party Pieces.
James’s dad David built up a motor and coach business. In 1995, he and wife Jane bought the exclusive Eden Rock hotel on the Caribbean island of St Barts, where guests such as Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio have paid up too £25,000 a night for a suite.
As a boy James was a promising racing driver. In 1994, aged 18, he won the British and European Formula Renault championship for Manor Motorsport, beating the legendary Alain Prost’s record of ten consecutive wins.
These days, his passion is for endurance sports, such as the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert which he completed in 2008.
The driving force behind such challenges is to raise money for a charity set up in the memory of his brother Michael, who died while climbing Everest in 1999, aged 22. He had become the youngest Brit to reach the summit.
James attended Eton, just like Princes William and Harry. But instead of heading to university, he got a job training to be a City trader.
One friend said: “He made a huge amount of cash from hedge funds and a lot more in the London property market. I’m talking tens of millions.
“You don’t do that by 40 unless you’re a sharp cookie.”
James has two other siblings, Nina — from his fathers first marriage — and Made in Chelsea star Spencer.
The womanising reality TV star — who was booted off I’m a Celebrity last year after admitting he was addicted to steroids — envied his older brother for the girls he dated.
Spencer, 27, wrote in his autobiography: “Although both my brothers had good taste in women, James was always the pickiest of the two.
“He had some absolutely incredible girlfriends.”