Philippa Charlotte "Pippa" Middleton (born 6 September 1983)[1] is an English
party planner,
socialite and sister of
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She is known because of her sister and through the reporting of society news.
Middleton was born in 1983, the second of the three children of Michael Middleton who was then a
British Airways flight dispatcher, and
Carole Goldsmith, who was a former
flight attendant.[4][5][6] Her father's family came from
Leeds,
West Yorkshire, and one of her great-grandmothers, called Olivia Lupton, belonged to a business family active in Leeds for generations.[7][8] Carole Middleton's mother's family were labourers and miners from
County Durham.[9] The third child of the family is
James Middleton (born 1987), now a business man.[7][10][11]
In the mid 1980s, when her two eldest children were at a pre-school and the family was living at
Bradfield Southend, Middleton's mother set up 'Party Pieces', a company which began by making party bags and which now sells party supplies and decorations by
mail order. By 1995 the firm, run by both parents, was so successful that it moved into a range of farm buildings at
Ashampstead Common,[12][13] and since then the Middleton parents are reported to have become millionaires.[14]
Following graduation, in 2008 Middleton took a job with Table Talk, a company based in London that organises events and parties.[17] Also in 2008, Tatler magazine named Middleton "the Number 1 Society Singleton", beating singer-songwriter
James Blunt and
Princess Eugenie.[18] Since then, she has often been described as a socialite.[19] As part of a duo with her older sister, Middleton has received wide press coverage, focussing on her social life and her lifestyle.[20][21]
The Daily Telegraph reported in 2010 that Middleton's parents had ambitious plans to expand their company, Party Pieces, and wanted their daughter Pippa to take an increasingly prominent role.[22]
Pippa is the luckiest one of all. She gets all the right sort of attention from men, fashion designers, hostesses and things, and doesn't have any of the duties. She's become a Princess without the bad bits.[25]
Middleton can handle a
shotgun and in 2008 shot twenty-three game birds in a day in Scotland, commenting "my modest 23 wasn't so good actually and I found the partridge quite disconcerting, they are so small".[32]
Royal wedding
Following the official announcement of her sister's engagement to Prince William on 23 November 2010, the Daily Mail commented "Ironically, family friends of the Middletons say that everyone always thought that the sparkly Pippa rather than the quieter and less glossy Kate would be the one most likely to make a spectacular marriage."[33] Middleton was immediately tipped to be the chief
bridesmaid at the planned
Royal wedding.[3] This was confirmed and widely reported on 14 February 2011, although the title to be used for the position is
maid of honour.[2][34] It has also been suggested that Middleton has taken on the role of the chief planner of the wedding itself.[35][25]
Pippa Middleton's
coat of arms is based on those of her father Michael Middleton.
Thomas Woodcock,
Garter King of Arms, the senior officer of the
College of Arms, helped the family with the design. The
shield of arms in her version is
lozenge shaped and hangs from a blue ribbon, this symbolises her unmarried state. This version of the coat of arms, can only be used by Pippa or her sister Kate as it denotes a Middleton spinster.[23][24]
Escutcheon
On a lozenge,
per pale Azure and Gules, a
chevron Or, cotised Argent, between three
acorns slipped and leaved Or[24]
Other elements
The lozenge hangs from a blue ribbon, tied in a bow.
Symbolism
The dividing line (between two colours) down the centre is a
canting of the name 'Middle-ton'. The acorns (from the
oak tree) is a
traditional symbol of England and a feature of west Berkshire, where the family have lived for 30 years. The three acorns also denote the family's three children. The gold chevron in the centre of the arms is an allusion to Carole Middleton's maiden name of Goldsmith. The two white chevronels (narrow chevrons above and below the gold chevron) symbolises peaks and mountains, and the family's love of the
Lake District and skiing.[23][24]
^
abParty Pieces Princess in News of the World dated 21 November 2010, p. 4 Cite error: The named reference "party" was defined multiple times with different content (see the
help page).
^About us at partypieces.co.uk, accessed 19 February 2011
Category:1983 births
Category:Living people
Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Category:Downe House Seniors
Category:English socialites
Category:Old Marlburians
Category:People from Reading, Berkshire
Category:People from Bucklebury