Pippa will get title like her sister Kate after she weds the son of a Scottish laird
HER elder sister Kate might already be a duchess and a countess – but Pippa Middleton is in line to land her own title when she marries her hedge fund manager fiancé.
Miss Middleton, 32, got engaged to 40year-old James Matthews earlier this week, after he gave her a diamond ring thought to be worth around £200,000.
And when they wed, the sibling of the Duchess of Cambridge – who is also the Countess of Strathearn – will eventually inherit her own title and become a Lady.
Her future father-in-law, David Matthews, is the Laird of Glen Affric – a 10,000-acre estate near Loch Ness in Inverness-shire.
When he dies, his eldest son James will inherit his title and Miss Middleton will become Lady Glen Affric.
Mr Matthews proposed to her last weekend during a short break in the Lake District. The couple have been together for just over a year, after briefly dating back in 2012. They plan to marry in 2017.
The area is often described as ‘the most beautiful glen in Scotland,’ and is a favourite of TV commercials and shortbread biscuit tins. Glen Affric Lodge, nestled in the Highlands National Nature Reserve, is an eight-bedroomed Victorian hunting lodge that has the finest furnishings money can buy, making it the perfect getaway – or perhaps even wedding venue – for the couple.
Mr Matthews senior is thought to have acquired the hereditary title of Laird when he purchased the estate in 2008.
The lodge is currently rented out to wealthy tourists wishing to get a slice of
‘Absolutely thrilled with the news’
life in the Highlands. A one-night stay sets guests back £900 per person, plus VAT.
Visitors can enjoy deer stalking, whisky tasting and helicopter rides.
In addition to the eight bedrooms, the lodge boasts a whisky room, sitting room, dining room and reading rooms decorated by Victorian artist Sir Edwin Landseer.
The house – which the Matthews spent three years refurbishing – overlooks Loch Affric, which can be used for kayaking, sailing, wind-surfing and fishing, as it is full of wild brown trout.
Mr Matthews senior previously said of the ‘eureka’ moment he first saw the loch: ‘I was driving a beat-up Land Rover down to the loch. It was a romantic moment.’
Pippa’s betrothed is the older brother of Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews.
His other brother, Michael, tragically died aged 22 as he descended Mount Everest, after becoming the youngest Briton ever to climb it in 1999.
Like Princes William and Harry, Mr Matthews attended Eton College. He now manages a hedge fund and is the chief executive of Eden Rock Capital Management Group, which has offices in London.
According to reports, the pair previously dated in 2012, but went their separate ways as Miss Middleton moved on with financier Nico Jackson. They later rekindled their romance at the end of 2015.
In a statement, the couple said: ‘Miss Pippa Middleton and Mr James Matthews are delighted to announce they became engaged on Sunday 17th July and plan to marry next year.’
Miss Middleton’s father Michael said in a statement: ‘Carole and I are absolutely thrilled with the news.’