Posh boarding schools, luxury gyms, and a marriage worth more than a literal king — it seems life really ain't so bad for Pippa Middleton.
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00:00Posh boarding schools, luxury gyms, and a marriage worth more than a literal king.
00:05It seems life really ain't so bad for Pippa Middleton.
00:08Though Pippa Middleton wasn't quite born with a silver spoon, it didn't take long before
00:13her parents, Carol and Michael Middleton, were able to give their kids a privileged
00:17upbringing.
00:18Carol and Michael benefited from a trust fund apportioned between the surviving relatives
00:22of Pippa's grandfather, which was reportedly worth the equivalent of £2.9 million in 2014.
00:28They had also founded their party supplies business, Party Pieces, in 1987, eventually
00:32becoming millionaires from the lucrative endeavor.
00:35It was a very clever idea, it filled a gap, this is a very affluent area, and there were
00:40lots of children, lots of people in the area that just wanted that service.
00:44Their business revenue, bolstered by the inheritance, enabled them to send their children to some
00:48seriously fancy private schools.
00:50Pippa attended several expensive schools during her youth, starting with St. Andrew's Prep,
00:55where prep fees start at £7,100 a term and rise to £7,820 from Year 5 onwards.
01:03She also attended Down House School, which again comes with some hefty fees, starting
01:08at £16,955 a term.
01:11When Pippa and Catherine were older, they moved on to Marlborough College, which charges
01:15parents a whopping £30,000 a term.
01:18Speaking to Tatler, a parent of a former Marlborough pupil divulged that Carol, to a fault, ensured
01:24that her daughters were the picture of affluent respectability.
01:27They said,
01:28"...there was always something slightly galling about having your children at school with
01:31the Middletons."
01:33It's common for parents to buy their children cars when they're old enough to drive, but
01:36those cars rarely set them back hundreds of thousands of dollars.
01:40After Kate Middleton married Prince William in 2011, Carol and Michael Middleton began
01:44to worry that Pippa Middleton didn't enjoy the same protections as her older sister.
01:48Accordingly, they reportedly splurged on a $144,000 car for their youngest daughter, one
01:54that had the added benefit of being bomb-proof.
01:57A source told The Sun at the time,
01:58"...Carol and Michael have taken a raft of measures following advice from one of William's
02:02most trusted bodyguards."
02:04That isn't the only swanky car in Pippa's collection, either.
02:07She also owned a BMW Z4, which cost her £40,000, although she suffered a minor scandal in 2011
02:15when the vehicle was clamped by bailiffs.
02:17Then in 2014, Pippa, her mom, and her brother James Middleton faced backlash after it was
02:22revealed that they'd scored a lucrative ambassador deal with Land Rover, which entitled them
02:26to discounts on the company's vehicles.
02:28The following year, Pippa was spotted driving a £30,000 Range Rover in London, possibly
02:33purchased with said discount.
02:35For many years, Pippa Middleton had a reputation as something of a party girl, but in 2011,
02:41she set out to prove that she could make a real name for herself.
02:44The result was the party planning book Celebrate, which gave readers advice on how to perfect
02:48their hosting game.
02:50"...As for the book, the reviews have not been kind."
02:53Sadly, the book was a flop, with just 2,000 copies sold in the first week.
02:58But this was likely no big deal for Middleton, who was given a colossal advance of £400,000
03:04by Penguin.
03:05In fact, several publishers reportedly got into a bidding war over the book.
03:08An insider told the Daily Mail,
03:10She had to deliver a synopsis that was sent to a number of publishers under a strict confidentiality
03:15agreement.
03:16There were some serious offers, but Penguin stumped up the most cash.
03:20While Middleton faced criticism over being awarded such a huge advance for a party planning
03:24book, she was also attacked for coming across as woefully out of touch.
03:28The book was published during a period of significant austerity in the UK.
03:32The Guardian argued that it was in poor taste for the socialite to suggest spending tens
03:36of thousands of dollars on posh soirees at a time when many Britons were living paycheck
03:40to paycheck.
03:42Pippa Middleton is all about staying in tip-top shape.
03:45As she detailed in her Waitrose magazine column, exercise is one of her major priorities in
03:50life.
03:51She wrote,
03:52"[Lifestyle changes can make a huge difference to body, mind, and soul.]
03:55So it's no surprise then that she spends a small fortune on her gym membership."
03:59Middleton is a member of the luxury Kix Gym, which is located in the upscale London area
04:04of Chelsea.
04:05Kix is an exclusive members-only gym that boasts a concierge, spa, and even a nail lounge
04:10where gym-goers can get a fancy mani-pedi after their workout.
04:13We ask our members, can you change?
04:16Each and every one of us can make small and subtle changes that are appropriate for a
04:21healthier lifestyle."
04:22Individual membership starts at £615 per month, minus joining fees.
04:27Meanwhile, those seeking a more rigorous workout regimen can expect to fork out at least £4,000
04:33for the Athletic Performance Program.
04:35In 2018, the Daily Mail reported that Middleton had upped her workout regimen after becoming
04:39pregnant, which was undoubtedly costing her even more money on top of her membership fees.
04:45Pippa Middleton dated a number of prominent men in her time, but she found both love and
04:50a fortune when she met James Matthews, who is worth a colossal amount of money.
04:55A hedge fund manager and former racing driver, Matthews made his fortune as CEO of Eden Rock
05:00Capital Management, an investment advisory firm that he co-founded in 2001.
05:05Back in 2017, David Freeman of Wealth Quotient told E! News,
05:09"...his stake in Eden Capital and the money he potentially has taken out over the last
05:1316 years could make him a demi-billionaire, or close to a billionaire on his own merits."
05:18Matthews has only grown richer since then.
05:20He has since been estimated to be worth over $2 billion, though this has by no means been
05:26confirmed.
05:27If this were true, however, it would mean that he and Middleton are actually richer
05:30than King Charles.
05:32They may not be royalty, but Pippa Middleton and James Matthews' wedding was enough to
05:36make a prince and princess blush.
05:38The fairy tale ceremony, which took place at St. Mark's Church in Englefield in 2017,
05:43was initially expected to cost £250,000.
05:47It has since emerged, however, that the cost was much higher, between $500,000 and $1 million.
05:53The bride-to-be arrived at her wedding in a 1951 Jaguar Mark V, the likes of which are
05:57sold for up to £80,000 on vintage car sites.
06:01For the reception alone, the couple paid tens of thousands of dollars to erect a giant glass
06:06marquee in Middleton's parents' backyard.
06:08And then there was Middleton's majestic wedding dress.
06:11Designed by Giles Deacon and made from bespoke silk and lace, the gown is believed to have
06:15come with a price tag of around £40,000.
06:19The happy couple was criticized over their extravagant nuptials, however.
06:22On the British TV show Loose Women, host Ruth Langsford lamented that the wedding expenditure
06:27was equivalent to buying a home in the U.K.
06:29It's a house.
06:30It is a house, absolutely.
06:32Meanwhile, guest Katie Price, who is notorious for her own lavish spending habits, branded
06:37the cost disgusting.
06:40Following their ritzy wedding, Pippa Middleton and James Matthews embarked on an equally
06:44lavish honeymoon.
06:45In 2017, the couple set off on a trip to French Polynesia, Australia, and New Zealand.
06:50In French Polynesia, they stayed at the Luxury Brando Resort, which charges lucky vacationers
06:55over $3,000 a night.
06:58That's a drop in the ocean for the couple, however, as they then spent over $14,000 a
07:02night to stay at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Sydney, Australia.
07:06As you might expect, they also enjoyed fine dining, traveling by private plane to the
07:10exclusive Cottage Point Inn in New South Wales.
07:13A five-course tasting menu at the establishment is a cool $160 Australian, while an eight-course
07:19tasting menu will set patrons back $200.
07:22At the time, the restaurant's owner told the Sydney Morning Herald,
07:25"'It's chaos.
07:26We're surprised and flattered they chose us.'"
07:29According to onlookers, Middleton and Matthews were accompanied by personal assistants during
07:33their trip.
07:34Altogether, the honeymoon is believed to have cost a minimum of £120,000, at the very least.
07:42Like her sister, Pippa Middleton has a penchant for designer garb.
07:45The sisters count Alice Templey, Erdem, Amelia Wickstead, and Roxanda Illinchick among their
07:50favorite brands, all of which come with colossal price tags.
07:54For instance, in 2011, Middleton cemented her status as a fashion it girl when fans
07:59scrambled to buy the $1,500 dress she wore to a Templey fashion show at London Fashion
08:04Week.
08:05Middleton has previously worn the brand for her sister's wedding reception, with Templey
08:08telling Vogue that she was thrilled the socialite was repping her label.
08:12The designer said,
08:13"'Pippa came into our store in Colville, Mews and she fell in love with the long Arabia
08:17dress.
08:18We had about four fittings in our private bridal suite in the Mews.
08:21We decided on the color and artwork panels together."
08:23Throughout her honeymoon, Middleton also dressed to the nines, wearing a succession of high-end
08:28outfits and swimwear with a cumulative cost of around $25,000.
08:33In addition to her expensive wardrobe, she favors luxury accessories.
08:37Appearing at Wimbledon in 2019, she wore a selection of designer sunglasses amounting
08:42to almost $1,000.
08:44In 2018, Pippa Middleton and James Matthews welcomed their first child, Arthur.
08:49Though the U.K. has universal healthcare via the NHS, Middleton opted to give birth like
08:54a billionaire.
08:55She booked a stay at the private Lindo Wing of London's otherwise government-funded St.
08:59Mary's Hospital.
09:00The most exclusive stay at the upscale maternity ward cost £7,500 a night.
09:06I never had a problem.
09:08Any ridiculous question I had, I always had an answer.
09:12Everything from the midwives, everybody was very helpful."
09:14The Lindo Wing is where Middleton's sister, Princess Catherine, also gave birth to her
09:18three children.
09:19Clearly, it's no ordinary maternity ward.
09:21Guests are lavished with massages, satellite TV, and even afternoon tea and champagne.
09:27Middleton once again utilized the services of the posh maternity unit when she gave birth
09:31to her daughter, Grace, in 2021.
09:33However, it remains unknown whether she gave birth to her second daughter, Rose, at the
09:37Lindo.
09:39Prior to marrying James Matthews, Pippa Middleton was already living in some seriously swanky
09:43properties.
09:44In 2002, Carol and Michael Middleton bought a three-bedroom condo located in the wealthy
09:49Chelsea area of London for £780,000.
09:53Pippa lived in the property for free for many years, at one point sharing it with her sister.
09:57Far from a bargain to begin with, the condo was sold for an eye-popping £1.8 million
10:03in 2019.
10:04Upon marrying Matthews in 2017, Pippa moved into his £17 million Chelsea mansion.
10:09Spread across five floors, the extravagant abode boasted six bedrooms, a private gym,
10:14and an underground cinema.
10:15They also spent over $1.5 million renovating the property.
10:19Then, in 2022, the couple sold their Chelsea home for almost $30 million and moved to the
10:25countryside.
10:26Settling in Berkshire, they bought a sprawling 32-room Georgian mansion for £15 million.
10:32As an accompaniment of sorts to her 150 acres of land, Pippa also has access to Bucklebury
10:37Farm, a petting zoo that she and Matthews purchased in 2020 for just under $2 million.
10:42The couple later turned it into a deer and safari park.
10:45It seems Pippa now lives in an abode that would make even the most gaudy royals jealous.
10:51Long before she was the wife of a billionaire, Pippa Middleton loved jetting across the globe.
10:56In 2012, she and her sister, Princess Catherine, vacationed in the Caribbean island of Mystique,
11:01where they reportedly stayed in a £15,000-a-week villa.
11:04In her early days as the sister of the Princess of Wales, Middleton also spent a lot of time
11:08visiting New York City.
11:10During her time there in 2012, she stayed at the Carlyle Hotel, where she may have paid
11:14up to $13,000 a night, before flying by private jet to an exclusive resort owned by almost
11:20billionaire Andre Boulache.
11:22She grew so attached to the Big Apple, in fact, that there were claims that she was
11:26considering purchasing a $17 million home in the city.
11:29That never came to pass, however, as Middleton soon wed James Matthews, with the couple opting
11:33to remain in the UK.
11:35But since being married to Matthews, Middleton has enjoyed numerous luxury vacations.
11:40In particular, she often travels to St. Bart's as Matthews' parents own Eden Rock, a lavish
11:45resort with a $3,000-a-night suite named after their family.
11:49Vacationing in St. Bart's in 2024, Middleton was living the high life as she relaxed on
11:53the beach with her kids.
11:55And she dressed to impress, too.
11:56During her vacation, Middleton wore over $2,000 worth of designer swimwear.