With this BLING I thee wed!
The inside story of an astonishing 10 YEAR campaign by
FOR Pippa Middleton the path of true love has been long, winding… and never less than luxurious. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that last weekend’s longexpected engagement to 40year-old hedge fund millionaire James Matthews involved a decade of waiting, meticulous planning – and a dazzling campaign of gifts and treats that extended to her parents, too.
Thanks to the millions earned from Eden Rock Capital Management, the financial company named after his parents’ Caribbean hotel, James has been in a position to woo Pippa in the most extraordinary style.
Today she wears not just a £250,000 art deco engagement ring with a three-carat Asscher-cut diamond at its centre, but the £14,500 Cartier Ballon Bleu watch he gave her, too.
Soon she will be driving a £100,000 classic car, as James is said to have enlisted the help of high society dealer Ed Lovett to source a ‘sporty, sexy number’ for his fiancee to zip around London in.
A 1960s Mercedes Pagoda, like the one driven by Kate Moss, is apparently top of the wishlist.
In between holidays to Corsica and Verbier, the Swiss party resort, James is regularly seen with Pippa at London’s most exclusive restaurants. They were recently spotted on a double date at romantic Notting Hill hotspot Casa Cruz, where a single steak costs £50. Two weeks ago, she joined him at exclusive tapas restaurant Cambio del Tercio in South Kensington.
And it turns out that even before they became an ‘item’, James had flown the whole Middleton clan to St Barths, and his parents’ hotel.
They travelled on his £3 million private jet, of course.
THE Mail on Sunday can reveal that James has been patiently pursuing his brideto-be for a full ten years – strategically planning his advances while waiting for Pippa to outgrow the eight-year age gap between them. And while other privileged young men might busy themselves with a series of girlfriends, James used the time to build a business and a fortune so vast he could treat her like a princess. There was no shortage of trophies on display last Thursday, when he hosted a lavish summer party for a select group of decidedly upmarket friends at his home in Chelsea.
Most notable was the impressive collection of silver cups won in his glamorous racing driver days.
No doubt the guests took time to ogle the fleet of sports cars, carefully stored and exhibited in a special underground ‘stacking’ garage. They could wander round an architectural triumph, too – a whole new floor added to his £17 million home.
But only James knew there was yet another glittering show of wealth inside the house that night – one that was kept well hidden – the £250,000 diamond ring he would present to his girlfriend on bended knee in the Lake District three days later.
Apparently leaving nothing to chance, James had even – as this paper reported – arranged a quiet meeting with Pippa’s mother Carole before the proposal, undoubtedly seeking permission for his girlfriend’s hand.
It was also a good chance to talk through plans for Pippa’s 33rd birthday on September 6, when it is expected James will put on his most lavish display of wealth to date. Friends say he has a ‘huge surprise’ planned and will fly the whole Middleton family on his private jet to St Barth’s for yet another vacation at Eden Rock.
We can now reveal the Middletons have been taking holidays on the island for ten years. Indeed it was there, a decade ago, that they and the Matthews first became friends.
Back then, James’s hedge fund was in its infancy and he was coming to the end of a five-year relationship with a woman who worked at the business, believed to have been a personal assistant.
Friends say he knew Pippa was the one from the moment she stepped foot on St Barth’s and confidently introduced herself to him. But with Pippa taken and an eight-year age gap between them, James was forced to bide his time.
Though he always stayed in contact, he had to watch from afar for six long years as Pippa finished her university studies and wrapped up relationships with two serious boyfriends, banker JJ Jardine-Paterson and cricketer Alex Loudon.
Meanwhile James’s lothario younger brother Spencer – a ‘star’ of structured reality TV show Made in Chelsea – tried to set him up on blind dates, but the businessman showed little interest.
As a close friend of the brothers explains: ‘Spencer set James up with at least one blind date. You got the sense James was holding out for the one, and that was Pippa.’
There was even, famously, a false start to overcome
In early 2012, Pippa was single again after being left broken-hearted by Alex, who dumped her because he couldn’t handle her fame.
By October that year, James swooped in and they dated for a few months, but he felt the timing was still not right and let the romance fizzle out, privately admitting that the age gap was still an issue. Pippa went on to date Nico Jackson, a handsome 36-year-old stockbroker, for two years. During this time, James began an alternative romance of his own, dating a friend of Pippa’s from Edinburgh University. Last year, James broke up with her at around the same time Pippa split from Nico.
A friend of James’s ex-girlfriend said last night: ‘The truth was, the only girl he really wanted was Pippa. He always carried a torch for her.’
By last summer, the timing was at last right. Nico was living in Switzerland and the long distance had taken its toll on his relationship with Pippa.
She was seen leaving James’s townhouse in the early morning of October 1, clutching a huge bunch of flowers, and
days later close friends revealed that it was all over between her and Nico. James grasped the opportunity with both hands.
‘After being in the background for at least ten years he finally decided to pursue her and he told her she had to give him a second chance,’ says a close friend of James’s.
Within seven months Pippa had moved in, and James set about developing an extra floor in the house to accommodate a new bathroom especially for her.
Friends say he has never been in the least bit unsettled by her fame, nor by her canny ability to mastermind her own press coverage.
When he proposed last Sunday, Pippa claimed to be ‘completely surprised’, but it seems the media was never a million miles from her thoughts. It was notable, for example, that when she attended a party in Chelsea with society friends including Tara Palmer-Tomkinson on Monday, there was no sign of an engagement ring – even though news of the proposal was already breaking and she had shown off the sparkler to a select few. Instead, she waited until a formal announcement had been made – and the banks of photographers were ready.
SURE enough, the couple released a joint statement on Tuesday morning and Pippa greeted the photographers outside the house with a dazzling smile. There was some carefully choreographed handbag holding to show off the ring, and the insight that she ‘couldn’t be happier’.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge duly announced that they were ‘absolutely delighted’ with the news. It is understood that Kate will play a significant role in the wedding, to take place next year. Friends say she and Pippa have already discussed dress designers, and that Jenny Packham is top of the list.
Pippa, who loves shooting and stalking in Scotland, is thought to have set her heart on a reception in the Highlands where the Matthews own a 10,000-acre estate.
The grand Victorian hunting lodge at Glen Affric in Inverness-shire took 12 years to build, and was restored to its former glory five years ago. It is powered by a hydroelectric generator from a nearby loch.
The lodge can be used as a wedding venue, sleeping 22 in its 11 bedrooms. It can only be rented as a whole for more than £20,000 a night, with guests woken each morning by a ‘talented local highland piper’.
It has been reported that Pippa wants flower girls to follow her down the aisle, as well as star page boy Prince George, three.
As for the guest list, it will be almost identical to the one Pippa drew up for last week’s orientalthemed summer party.
This exclusive bash was attended by several names from the Royals’ inner circle, including Tom van Straubenzee, Prince William’s best friend, and Tom Inskip, who is close to Prince Harry.
William’s newly married ex-girlfriend Olivia Hunt will also be invited to the wedding (although Kate usually likes to avoid attending social events when she is there.)
The Mail on Sunday understands that Kate will not be the matron of honour, but she will doubtless approve of Pippa’s choice: their close friend from Marlborough College, Alice St John Webster.
‘Pippa has texted me to say she’s absolutely thrilled and can’t wait to start planning things,’ says a friend, adding: ‘The sky is the limit and money is no object.’
Few would disagree with that.