Who is Pippa Middleton? All you need to know about Kate’s sister who is on vacation in the Caribbean

Philippa Charlotte or ‘Pippa’ as she is more commonly known, is the middle child of the Middleton family, born to parents Michael and Carole on 6 September 1983. She is the younger sister of Catherine, the Princess of Wales and the elder sister of their only brother James, who was born in 1987.

For a short while, the Middletons’ life could be described as nomadic. The family were initially based in Bradfield Southend, then spent a couple of years in Amman, Jordan during the mid-80s where Michael, a British Airways manager, was relocated for work before returning to Berkshire.

Pippa in the media spotlight at 2011 Royal Wedding

Pippa found herself in the global media spotlight when acted as maid of honor at her sister’s royal wedding 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in 2011. She turned heads the world over during the television coverage of the event for her stunning, fitted ivory crêpe Alexander McQueen-designed bridesmaid’s dress, gaining as much interest as her royal older sister.

In 2014 she confessed that she couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, telling CBS: “It sounds funny to say, but we saw it as just a family wedding. I didn’t realize the scale of it until afterwards. We really saw it as a family getting together and doing their bit. To me, it was just performing in front of a lot of people, just not the world. It was surreal. I think the plan was not really for it to be a significant dress. Really just to sort of blend in with Kate’s train”.

Pippa Middleton dedicated to charity work

She studied English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 2007. Her first job out in the real world was with a public relations firm promoting luxury products. She also worked as an events manager and joined forced with her mother Carole, writing a promotional blog for her mail-order business Party Pieces. Pippa published her first book Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends (Penguin) in 2012 to mixed reviews - in general, it was not well-received by critics. Four years later, she published her own cookbook, Heartfelt: Over 100 Quick and Easy Recipes for a Healthy Heart with the proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation, of which she has been an ambassador since 2014.

In 2013, she was hired by high-end UK supermarket Waitrose to write a column in their monthly kitchen magazine. Pippa’s Friday Night Feasts featured recipes to make healthy meals to relax and enjoy at the end of a busy week in work. But that too was dismissed by food critics, “Expensive, fiddly and a lot of effort for very little return...” one review grumbled.

In July 2016, she became engaged to hedge fund manager and former racing driver James Matthews, eight years her senior. They were married at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshire on 20 May 2017. The couple have three children of their own: Arthur Michael William, Grace Elizabeth Jane and Rose Louise Victoria, the youngest born in 2022. The family have settled into their 70-acre Bucklebury Farm home, which they purchased in March 2021 for a reported £1.5 million.

Pippa is currently heavily involved in charity work - apart from her work for the BHF, she also supports Magic Breakfast, and the Mary Hare School for deaf children.