The term ‘diva’ has been used to describe Pippa Middleton on a number of occasions.
There were the many strict rules she imposed on attendees of her 2017 wedding to financier James Matthews: No unmarried partners, no couples sitting together, and a change of outfits between the ceremony and the reception.
There was the time she instructed lawyers to act against ‘Pippatips’, the parody social media account mocking her 2012 party-planning book, Celebrate – in which, among other things, she recommended readers use ice cubes to keep their drinks cold.
More than a decade on, despite leading a low-key life, it seems Pippa’s behaviour is still rubbing others up the wrong way, albeit this time with her husband.
Locals in the West Berkshire village where she, James and their three children live have claimed the couple are ‘inconsiderate’, ‘not very popular’ and ‘think they’re a bit better than everyone else’.
As one angry neighbour pointed out: ‘They’re not even the proper Royal Family.’
As revealed by The Mail on Sunday last weekend, the subject of such ire is a lane which runs through the Matthewses’ 145-acre estate in the picturesque setting of Kintbury, a historic parish on the River Kennet.
Locals in the West Berkshire village where Pippa Midleton lives with her husband, James Matthews, have claimed the couple are ‘inconsiderate’, ‘not very popular’ and ‘think they’re a bit better than everyone else’
Barton Court is a 32-bedroom mansion, where Pippa and her family have lived since 2022
The family have lived here, in the Grade II-listed Barton Court, a £15 million, 32-bedroom mansion formerly owned by the late designer Sir Terence Conran, since 2022. Shortly after their arrival, they erected a set of electric gates, controlled by a keypad and accompanied by signs reading ‘private’ and ‘no entry’, across a section of Mill Lane, a concreted track which – they claim – is part of the long, winding driveway to their home.
Kintbury residents, particularly a group of 35 walking enthusiasts from the West Berkshire Ramblers, beg to differ, arguing that Mill Lane has always been a public right of way, which they have used regularly as a footpath since at least the Sixties.
By closing it off, locals claim they are being forced to take an alternative route along a road frequented by HGVs and delivery drivers, with no pavement to walk on safely.
This, they say, is not only inconvenient but ‘extremely dangerous’.
‘I feel it will only be a matter of time before there’s a serious or fatal accident involving a pedestrian,’ one concerned neighbour, 72-year-old Charles Robins, warned.
The local ramblers successfully applied to West Berkshire Council to have the lane designated a public right of way in 2024 but the Matthewses, via an expensive London barrister, have appealed the decision – and the two sides will now come face-to-face at a public meeting next month.
So who’s in the right? The MoS visited Kintbury last week and, on a sun-dappled spring day, walked the publicly accessible section of Mill Lane, known fondly by locals as ‘The Avenue’ or ‘Donkey Lane’.
Verged by hedgerows and grazing fields, it is undeniably beautiful – not merely the ‘surfaced drive with unremarkable views’ that James Matthews describes in his documents to the council.
The track meanders for around half a mile before reaching a crossroads, where the disputed gates and trespassers’ warning signs have been installed across the remainder of the pathway. It is still 500 metres, via two smaller, private dwellings on the estate grounds, to Barton Court itself.
In previous years, locals say, the red-brick Georgian pile was obscured by trees and foliage, providing privacy for the owners. But this has been thinned out in recent years, making the house – still quite a way from the disputed laneway – more visible to passers-by.
One can understand the Matthewses’ desire for privacy – as sister and brother-in-law to the future King and Queen, they have reason not to want their daily lives overlooked. There are their children, Arthur, seven, Grace, five, and Rose, three, to take into account, too.
Yet locals out for an afternoon stroll were still indignant about the changes – which also include wooden fencing and security gates along the length of the lane – they have imposed.
Villagers recall stopping for picnics on lazy summer days and collecting conkers in the autumn, and hoped to raised their own families doing the same.
‘It’s such a beautiful, safe place and the kids never go beyond what we call “Pooh Sticks Bridge”, which is as close to the Court as it gets,’ says Rosie, 29, out walking with her partner Michael, 35, and three of their children.
‘You used to be able to picnic on the grass by the river but now that’s fenced off. The kids have said that people have come from the house and shouted at them for playing at the bridge.’
Known as ‘The Avenue’ or ‘Donkey Lane’, locals say the Matthews have put up signs saying private property
One can understand the family’s desire for privacy, yet locals were still indignant about the changes – which include wooden fencing and security gates along the length of the lane
One villager, who didn’t want to be named, said she was ‘almost in tears’ about the dispute. ‘It has split the village which is most unhealthy and has become confrontational,’ the woman, in her 60s, says.
Victoria Livesey, who grew up in Kintbury and returned to the area to raise her son and care for her 90-year-old mother, says the closure of the lane has stopped her from dropping in on friends in nearby villages.
‘Sadly we cannot walk to see them now, despite living so close,’ she says. ‘Station Road [the alternative route] is too dangerous to walk with the dog, so we have to drive.’
The apparent unsuitability of Station Road is a concern among several villagers. With blind bends, no footpath and large vehicles often travelling at high speed, it does not make for a pleasant – or safe – detour, especially for those with children or dogs.
‘It is far too dangerous. No one would walk it. It’s straight and very tight with nowhere safe to walk, and cars go down it fast,’ Charlie, a local farmer, explains. ‘It’s a shame, because people have been walking into Kintbury using that pathway for at least 100 years.’
With just 2,500 residents, everyone knows everyone here. But Pippa and James have not, to date, involved themselves in village life – and this hasn’t gone down well.
They prefer to hunker down in Bucklebury, a scenic half-hour drive away, where Pippa’s parents Carole and Michael live, and where the couple also own Bucklebury Farm, a £1.5 million 72-acre animal park. There’s also the lure of St Barts, the Caribbean island where James’ parents David and Jane live, and where the family holiday together every year.
Barton Court’s previous residents, Sir Terence and Lady (Vicki) Conran, could not have been more different.
The couple bought Barton Court, then a dilapidated wreck with dry rot and a collapsed roof, in 1971 and lived there for over 40 years.
With Sir Terence’s design expertise, they transformed it into a sustainable estate with walled gardens and a water meadow. Both adored Kintbury and were well-liked, hands-on members of the community. Sir Terence died at home aged 88 in 2020. ‘They were part of village life and never discouraged villagers from using Mill Lane,’ says Victoria Livesey, who says she has used the route for almost 50 years. ‘We respected their privacy and never ventured down the Barton Court driveway.’
Steve Ledbury, 70, a dog owner and villager for the past 30 years, recalls: ‘When Sir Terence had the estate, the main gate on to Station Lane was always open which allowed for access.’
There are, of course, some locals who say that, as legal owners, James and Pippa are entitled to do what they want on their estate.
University lecturer Daniel Xu, who has lived here for five years with his wife and two children, says he always thought it was a ‘private road’.
‘If the owner feels generous then they would let the villagers use it, but if they want to be strict I can understand that,’ he adds.
Retiree Louise May, a Kintbury native of 12 years, agrees. ‘I am very happy for them to do what they want with their land,’ she says. ‘There are plenty of places to walk around here.’
‘You used to be able to picnic on the grass by the river but now that’s fenced off,’ says Rosie, who enjoys going out walking with her children Roo, left, Eli, centre, and Louie
University lecturer Daniel Xu says: ‘If the owner feels generous then they would let the villagers use it, but if they want to be strict I can understand that’
Another business owner describes the ramblers challenging the Matthewses’ decision to close the pathway as ‘narrow-minded’. ‘If it was their house or garden, would they want anybody to walk through it?’ he asks.
As for their apparent reluctance to integrate, others pointed out that, as parents of young children, they are likely to have their hands full at home. ‘Maybe they’ll get more involved when their kids are older,’ one 70-year-old villager says.
But this is not the first time the Matthewses have faced opposition in pushing forward with their grand designs. In 2023 proposals for an 82ft by 19ft outdoor swimming pool – more than twice the size of a typical private pool – were challenged by the council’s ecologist.
He criticised the planned removal of several trees without checking if they were home to roosting bats, and pointed out a lack of concern for great-crested newts, with the area in question a ‘red risk zone’ for the reptiles. The plans – which also included an astro-turf tennis court and the construction of changing rooms within the walled garden – were eventually approved, but there was more friction to come.
In February the couple submitted more proposed upgrades, including a new greenhouse, stables and wide-ranging extensions including a garden room. But archaeologists warned that the work could threaten potentially important relics from the Palaeolithic period, as well as disturbing medieval remains and flintwork beneath the ground.
The plans have been put on hold while archaeological investigations continue.
There was also the matter of James’s 50th birthday, held on the estate last September, a classy affair attended by William and Kate, as well as James’ brother Spencer and his wife, TV presenter Vogue Williams.
The noise, locals claim, began in the afternoon, with a Spitfire display, much to the dismay of dog owners who were ‘concerned’ the engines would upset their pets.
Another said that they were disturbed by music from the party until 1.30am, accusing the Matthews family of lacking ‘common courtesy and respect’.
‘I thought this might happen when Pippa moved in. People with money,’ one neighbour lamented. Money, certainly, is something the Matthews family do not lack.
With an estimated fortune of £2 billion, hedge fund manager James – who founded Eden Rock Capital Management in 2021 and is also heir to the 10,000-acre Glen Affric estate in Scotland – can easily afford the fees of a top barrister to fight his corner.
When contacted last week, a representative of the Matthews family said the route in question had only been ‘reasonably alleged’ to be a footpath, not formally designated one by West Berkshire Council. They also disputed the name given to the disputed path, Mill Lane, which they claim does not appear in local records.
The spokesman said the council will be adopting a ‘neutral stance’ at the forthcoming meeting.
The future of this stretch of countryside, then, is in the hands of a Government-appointed planning inspector, who will make his decision after hearing both sides at a public meeting next month. Whether Pippa and James will attend remains to be seen.
As the saying goes, an Englishman’s home is his castle.
But, as locals are wont to remind them, the Matthewses are not – technically – royals.
Additional reporting: Ross Slater
