EXCLUSIVE: Princess Catherine's Sister Accused of 'Using Royal Connection' to 'Punish Her Neighbors'
Princess Middleton's battle with her neighbors has continued.
May 15 2026, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
Pippa Middleton is being accused of using her royal connections and wealth to "punish" local residents after becoming embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute over a footpath running through the sprawling country estate she shares with her financier husband James Matthews.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Middleton, 42, the younger sister of Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44, and Matthews, 50, are fighting attempts by villagers to have the disputed pathway officially recognized as a public right of way through their 145-acre estate at Barton Court.
Pippa Middleton Footpath Row Sparks Village Backlash
Pippa Middleton blocked a traditional footpath on her $20million estate.
The couple purchased the 34-room Georgian mansion in 2022 for $20million and blocked access to the route shortly afterward, arguing continued public use created privacy and security concerns around the property.
The dispute reached a planning inquiry in Kintbury, West Berkshire, this week, where tensions between residents and the high-profile couple spilled into public view.
One local source close to the dispute claimed villagers increasingly believe Middleton's status and royal associations have emboldened the couple's stance.
The insider added: "There's a deep sense of resentment among some residents who feel this dispute perfectly captures what happens when extremely wealthy outsiders move into rural communities and begin reshaping them around their own priorities.
"Many villagers believe traditions and informal arrangements that had existed peacefully for decades are suddenly being dismissed as irrelevant because the land now belongs to people with far greater money, status, and influence.
"Around the village, there's a growing perception that Pippa and James operate with a level of confidence that comes from being connected to the royal circle, and some locals privately feel that creates an imbalance where ordinary residents struggle to have their voices heard on equal terms."
The source noted, "For many people, the argument has become about far more than just a footpath – it's about class, privilege and whether affluent landowners believe community customs should simply give way to their desire for privacy and control."
Villagers Accuse Wealthy Estate Owners Of Closing Off Countryside
Pippa Middleton and her husband, James Matthews, purchased the Barton Court mansion in 2022.
Another resident involved in the row said: "There is a huge amount of frustration and bitterness locally because many people genuinely believed this was a route the community had informally shared and used for generations without issue.
"Villagers feel they are now being shut out of part of the countryside that had always felt accessible to ordinary people, simply because wealthy new owners have decided they no longer want public access nearby."
They continued, "For a lot of residents, this dispute has grown into something much bigger than a disagreement over a single footpath. People see it as part of a wider pattern where affluent estate owners increasingly close off rural land, citing privacy, protection, and security concerns while gradually restricting spaces that local communities historically enjoyed. Some feel social status and royal proximity are being used, whether intentionally or not, to justify turning what once felt communal into something exclusive and controlled."
The pathway at the center of the dispute was allegedly accessible to residents when the estate belonged to the late designer and retail entrepreneur Terence Conran, who died in 2020 aged 88.
Campaigners represented by The Ramblers charity are now seeking to have the route formally designated as a public right of way.
Pippa Middleton's Mansion Battle Heads To Planning Inquiry
Retail entrepreneur Terence Conran allowed residents access to the route when he own the estate before his death.
At the hearing, barrister Paul Wilmshurst, representing Matthews, argued the path had never been widely used by the public and did not serve any significant practical purpose.
He said: "It has certainly not been used by a significant number of people. It doesn't lead anywhere particularly useful."
An inspector overseeing proceedings reportedly reminded attendees issues relating to "privacy" could not formally determine whether the pathway qualified as a public right of way under planning law.
Middleton first became internationally famous in 2011 after appearing as maid of honor at the wedding of Catherine and Prince William, 43, at Westminster Abbey – with photos of her toned rear making global headlines.
Since marrying Matthews in 2017, she has largely avoided public royal duties while maintaining a relatively private life focused on family and country living.
Royal Connections Fuel Anger In Pippa Middleton Dispute
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Middleton avoided public royal duties to focus on her private family life.
Sources familiar with the inquiry over the walkway said the disagreement has exposed growing hostility among some locals toward the couple's arrival in the area.
One said: "What began as a fairly low-key local disagreement over access rights has evolved into something much more symbolic and emotionally loaded within the community.
"People are no longer looking at this simply as a technical planning issue about a narrow countryside path. Increasingly, villagers see it as a wider battle over privilege, wealth, and influence – and whether powerful landowners can gradually shut off areas that local people believed had effectively been shared and enjoyed for decades.
"There's a growing feeling that rural communities are slowly losing access to spaces that once felt open and communal as affluent estate owners move in and assert greater control over the landscape around them."
The resident added: "A lot of the tension comes from the perception that ordinary villagers are up against individuals with enormous financial resources, legal backing, and high social standing.
"Whether the route ultimately qualifies as a legal public right of way almost feels secondary now because emotions around the dispute have become incredibly intense. Some residents feel intimidated by the imbalance of power involved, while others are angry that concerns from local people appear to carry far less weight than the privacy wishes of wealthy homeowners connected to the royal orbit. The atmosphere in the village has become deeply polarized, and once neutral people are increasingly taking sides."
