Pippa Middleton and James Matthews Face Backlash After Blocking Public Access to Footpath on Their Estate: Report

Mar. 15, 2025

Pippa Middleton and James Matthews attend the “Together at Christmas” carol concert at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 8, 2023.

Pippa Middletonand her husband,James Matthews, are reportedly entrenched in a local dispute after blocking public access to a footpath on their private estate in England.

Pippa, 41, and James have lived in the home since 2022, and criticism has been sparked as the property’s previous owner, Sir Terence Conran, who died in 2020, reportedly allowed locals to use the private footpath, which is not a public right of way.

“I like to walk, and I don’t see why I can’t walk there. I have been walking along there for 50 years. When Sir Terence had it, he had no objections. I think we should have a right to roam,” one villager said, according to theMail on Sunday.

Added another, “I think it is a shame. It is a lovely walk. Although it wasn’t officially a footpath, Sir Terence didn’t have any objections. He was very nice. Everyone liked him. He was quite involved in the village.”

“It feels they are depriving the village of an amenity,” they said.

The dispute reportedly began in March, when James' estate manager sent a Highway Declaration Notice to West Berkshire Council “marking out his private territory.” TheMail on Sundayreported that Eugene Futcher, chairman of the West Berkshire Ramblers, a local walking group, launched a counter application, pursuing clearance to have the path be a public right of way.

Pippa Middleton and James Matthews at Wimbledon on July 12, 2024.Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty

Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty

The West Berkshire Council is expected to reach a decision in 2025, but until then, the owners can reportedly impose their own restrictions.

Pippa Middleton, Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton at Wimbledon on July 14, 2024.Javier Garcia/Shutterstock

Javier Garcia/Shutterstock

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When the couple got engaged in 2016,  a source told PEOPLE that they shared a “deep desire” to disappear from the spotlight in the longer term and looked forward to “having children and leading a quiet life.”

Pippa and James are known to step out for Princess Kate’s Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, held annually for the last three years in December, and also attend Wimbledon. In July, Pippa joined her sister and her 9-year-old niece,Princess Charlotte, for agirls' day outat the tennis tournament in London.

source: people.com