TALK OF THE TOWN: Pippa Middleton calls time on pet project after it runs up £800,000 debt
The Princess of Wales‘s sister Pippa and her banker husband James Matthews have at last waved the white flag of surrender over their petting zoo, Bucklebury Farm.
I can reveal the couple have sold the £1.3million Berkshire property, which they bought in 2021 with a view to turning it into a thriving business and family attraction.
Instead, the 72-acre farm was hit by six-figure losses every year, resulting in a debt of £807,543 in 2025, as I reported last year. In a desperate attempt to plug the financial hole, the couple submitted plans to build a nursery for 25 children on the sprawling site.
Those plans were criticised by the local highways authority, which argued the nursery would spark congestion issues.
The couple even wrote a desperate plea to the council, arguing the ‘diversification’ was ‘essential to securing the farm’s future, enabling it to remain open to the public and continue offering educational and recreational opportunities for the community’. The application, however, was refused.
Visitors also bemoaned online the hefty ticket prices at the zoo, which they claim had skyrocketed since 2021.
One local called the venture a ‘snooty cash grab’, adding: ‘This was a childhood favourite growing up in Berkshire, but since the Middleton takeover it has become a place of snobbery and middle-class inclusivity.’
A representative for the couple confirmed they no longer have any ownership or involvement in the site.
Pippa Middleton (pictured here at the British Heart Foundation’s Heart Hero Awards 2023 in London) and her banker husband James Matthews have at last waved the white flag of surrender over their petting zoo
The couple have sold the £1.3million Berkshire property, which they bought in 2021 with a view to turning it into a thriving business and family attraction
Has the Marchioness of Bath stolen Meghan Markle’s crown?
I only ask as Emma Thynn attended the NYC Gala last week with the Duchess’s former bestie Edward Enninful, greeting King Charles on his US tour.
Emma also has a lifestyle programme and, like Meghan, produces home-made jam from her Longleat estate.
The last time I saw Emma I asked her what she thought of claims Meghan had copied her. She raised her eyebrow and said: ‘No comment.’
Emma Thynn has a lifestyle programme and, like Meghan Markle, produces home-made jam from her Longleat estate
I’m glad to see that Stella Jones is keeping it in the family!
The daughter of The Clash guitarist Mick Jones attended Stella McCartney’s New York party to mark the designer’s new collaboration with H&M.
Stella is dating Elliot Donaldson, the grandson of Beatles icon Sir Paul McCartney, while Stella McCartney is, of course, Sir Paul’s daughter.
Stella Jones is dating Elliot Donaldson, the grandson of Beatles icon Sir Paul McCartney
She may have just broken up with boyfriend, Parker Van Noord, but Lady Lola Bute had cause for hope last week after she caught the bouquet at the wedding of Charlie Forte.
The son of hotelier Sir Rocco Forte married Georgie Wright, both right, in a Sicilian castle.
Lady Lola Bute (pictured) had cause for hope last week after she caught the bouquet at the wedding of Charlie Forte
The cream of London society gathered last week to remember Queen Camilla’s former hairdresser Hugh Green following his death at 80.
Friends including Princess Alexandra, Freddie Windsor (representing his mother, Princess Michael of Kent), Patricia Hodge and Dame Joan Collins – a long-time client of Hugh at his Belgravia salon – raised a glass of bubbly to honour him at the home of Patrick Lichfield’s ex-wife Lady Leonora Anson.
Emma Raducanu once roamed the country in her swanky Porsche after securing a lucrative sponsorship deal with the luxury car firm.
Now it looks like the 23-year-old prefers to leave the £125,000 Carrera GTS Cabriolet at home.
Last week, the tennis ace posted this snap of herself sitting in the baggage rack, top, of a South Western train.
At least she remembered to pack a book for the journey – Fredrik Backman’s best-seller My Friends.
Emma Raducanu (pictured) last week posted this snap of herself sitting in the baggage rack of a South Western train
