Last week, we learned that Pippa Middleton and her terribly moderately wealthy husband James Matthews sold their “investment property” in Berkshire. Soon after moving out of London in 2022, Pippa and TMW James bought a grand estate for their family, and they also purchased Bucklebury Farms, a local petting zoo which came with significant acreage. The petting-zoo property seemed mostly for Pippa, like she was using it to experiment with some revenue-generating projects. The problem? No one cared, and her projects went nowhere and people were pissed that she jacked up the prices for the petting zoo. In just a few short years, the investment property racked up £807,543 in debt. So Pippa and TMW James sold the property quietly, to even more dismay from the community. They’re really pissing off everyone in their area. Well, I wondered if there would be any further commentary on the broke-ass grifter Middletons. Would you look at that, Dick Fitzwilliams thinks that this latest controversy proves that Pippa is a fail-spare, just like the Sussexes!
As Pippa Middleton and her high-flying husband James Matthews finally call it quits on their £1.3million petting zoo, one wonders what could possibly be next in store for the sister of the Princess of Wales. She become an overnight sensation due to her figure-hugging dress at Kate’s wedding to Prince William in 2011, but the socialite has struggled to truly escape her sister’s royal shadow.
According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, Pippa’s trajectory ‘echoes’ the experience of Prince Harry, who has often complained about his upbringing as a royal ‘Spare’. Mr Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail: ‘Life’s lottery can be very cruel. No one can influence when they are born. Yet if your eldest sibling becomes famous, the spotlight often falls on you as well. If you lack talent, the obstacles can be insuperable. Despite the temptation, it can be unwise to try to cash in on this peripheral fame. The pity is that, like Harry and Meghan, she seems to want to prove something.’
While Pippa, 42, has dabbled in the world of books, fitness columns and even a brief television stint, none of these ventures have ever materialised. Instead, she has been subject to financial loss, public ridicule, and quickly cancelled deals. Most recently, her big plan was to convert 72-acre Bucklebury Farm into a thriving business and family attraction with her husband James. However, it was hit by six-figure losses every year, resulting in a debt of £807,543 in 2025.
Their plans to expand the site were routinely criticised by the local highways authority, while one nearby resident called the venture a ‘snooty cash grab’ that had become a ‘place of snobbery and middle-class inclusivity.’ Yet while many locals may welcome the downfall of Bucklebury Farm – it marks the latest in a long list of ‘unhappy business experiences’ for Pippa spanning more than two decades.
After amassing attention across the globe in 2011 due to her figure-hugging bridesmaid dress at the royal wedding of Kate and Prince William, Pippa was quick to enter into the world of celebrity and embrace lucrative deals. In 2012, it was announced Pippa had landed a deal from publishing house Penguin worth £400,000 for a book on party planning. But, her party planning book, Celebrate, was not well received and sales were poor.
Mr Fitzwilliams explained: ‘There are echoes here of Harry, whose ill-advised memoir Spare made all too clear that the supposedly inseparable brothers were far from being close. Meghan’s much touted cookery series for Netflix, With Love, Meghan met a similar fate with reviewers to Pippa’s book and viewing figures were low.’
Pippa WISHES she could have “failed” like Harry and Meghan – Harry’s book was a bestseller which earned him tens of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, Pippa’s book full of Pippa Tips was a complete publishing failure. Meghan’s entertaining show made the top-ten most-viewed shows on Netflix, while Pippa couldn’t even land a special correspondent gig on NBC because her test shoot was so bad. The Sussexes have earned millions. Pippa just had to sell her investment petting-zoo which was over a million dollars in debt. Maybe Pippa’s situation is less about “she’s a spare, just like Harry” and more like “the grifter Middletons are terrible at business and they ruin everything they touch.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
