The Royal Family contains some of the most powerful and influential people in the world. Part of their power comes from solidarity: these royals generally stick together, and anybody who messes with even the lowliest royal knows they may soon run afoul of King Charles himself.
That solidary is generally tightest between siblings, and from the outside looking in, it doesn’t get much tighter than the relationship between Kate Middleton and her sister, Pippa. However, royal experts who have been observing these two women over the years have noticed some cracks in the foundation of what might otherwise be a strong sisterhood.
Just what are these cracks, though? What happened between these women in the past, and what do these incidents tell us about their future? Keep reading to find out!
Pippa upstaged Kate at her wedding with William
If you have a close relationship with your own siblings, you might wonder what could potentially cause a rift between Kate and Pippa Middleton. The truth is that lots of little things have contributed to the emotional distance between these two sisters. But depending on who you talk to, the biggest contributing factor may go back to Pippa causing a minor scandal on Kate’s wedding day.
This wasn’t just any wedding, of course…Kate was marrying Prince William, the future King of England, and the eyes of the world were on her every move. They were certainly on her dress, which looked regally fabulous while still retaining her modesty. By comparison, Pippa wore a more form-fitting dress that showed off all the curves that Kate was so busy trying to hide.
As a result, some believe that Pippa’s sexy dress and even the fact that it was white was intended to steal the spotlight from her famous sister. And for a variety of reasons, this potential sisterly rivalry has continued long after Kate and William tied the knot.
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Ongoing sibling rivalry
At first blush, you might think the very idea of Kate Middleton being jealous of Pippa is weird. Like, Kate is the one who married the future King and subsequently became a household name…why, then, would she ever be jealous of her sister? However, the alleged rivalry between these women goes all the way back to their childhood.
As reported by the Daily Mail, a number of people who knew Kate and Pippa from when they lived in the Berkshire village of Bucklebury report that the two siblings always had a rivalry between them. One former friend, for example, says that “Kate was jealous of Pippa — in fact, I think Kate feared being eclipsed by her a bit.’
This was generally confirmed by Emma Sayle, Kate’s former Downe House schoolmate. She claims the two women were“‘hugely competitive. There was always that thing, who could be the thinnest and who could be the prettiest.’
Beaches, bikinis, and bad vibes
Many have speculated that Kate Middleton was annoyed when her sister upstaged the wedding with William with her own knockout dress. Because that incident was years ago, you might think Kate was done being annoyed with her sister’s fashion choices. But that annoyance reportedly continued very recently thanks to Pippa Middleton’s desire to show off her beach body.
Last year, while Kate was still recovering in the hospital, Pippa took a trip to St. Barts with her husband, showing off a beach body that allegedly made Kate jealous. An insider exclusively told Life & Style that “It’s annoying for Kate to see Pippa showing off her figure like that” and reiterated how mad Kate was that this happened on her wedding day.
Regarding the more recent beach photos, the insider claims that Kate isn’t so much jealous of Pippa’s body as she is of her sister’s lifestyle. “She has the glamorous life of a socialite without any of the restrictions and duties Kate faces every day.” Without those duties, it’s clear that life’s a beach for the other sister!
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A tale of two lifestyles
It’s one thing to hear that Kate Middleton is jealous of her sister’s lifestyle, but it’s another thing to believe it. Again, Kate achieved what countless women dream of: the opportunity to marry prince charming. She’s married to the future King of England and will rule by his side as his Queen. Why, then, would she be jealous of Pippa, someone who will never enjoy that kind of prominence and power?
Believe it or not, the very fact that Pippa Middleton lacks these things is part of why Kate is reportedly jealous. As a prominent royal, Kate can’t do anything without extensive planning and security arrangements, and she has to worry about dodging the paparazzi the entire time. Pippa, meanwhile, can just do whatever she wants whenever she wants.
On top of that, Pippa’s husband, James Matthews, is a billionaire. That means that Pippa enjoys all the financial freedom that Kate does and more without having her money tied to the Royal Family and all its restrictions. She’s living the best of both worlds, and it’s not hard to see why this would make Kate jealous!