Will Pippa Middleton announce her engagement before Cressida Bonas?

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Here are some new photos of Pippa Middleton, out and about yesterday in London. It’s become a special occasion when we get new Pippa photos these days. Immediately following her sister’s wedding, Pippa was getting pap’d on the reg, often once or twice a day. Nowadays, Pippa gets pap’d maybe once a month. And she’s not courting the press anymore either. I mean, I have a begrudging respect for the Middleton’s PR shenanigans, but Pippa really has been trying to “pay her dues” as a writer/columnist. Anyway, Pippa was spotted in London having lunch at some outdoor café. She managed to coordinate her shoes with her bag, which is something.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Pippa out with her man Nico Jackson too. Nico seems tailor-made for a Middleton woman: he likes having his photo taken, he’s nouveau riche, and he seems soap-opera handsome and like a shady grifter-type. Pippa and Nico have been together for more than a year. And sources claim that Nico and Pippa will finally announce their engagement… soon. Not right now. Possibly after Kate and William return from their royal tour. Pippa must be ever mindful of never, ever doing anything to take away from Kate’s “work.” Here’s the gossip from Glamour:

I know I’m not the only one around these parts with a bad case of royal wedding fever. I mean, we’ve been waiting for months for Prince Harry to propose to Cressida Bonas—but it seems another royal-ish wedding might be in the works much sooner. I have some reliable royal insiders who are certain Pippa Middleton and Nico Jackson are going to announce their engagement very soon.

After William and Kate’s wedding, Pippa was a fixture on the international social scene, but we haven’t heard much about her over the past several months.

“Pippa’s been very intentional about keeping a low profile at the request of the royal family,” royal wedding expert Anne Chertoff has heard from her network of Brit insiders. In fact, Pippa canceled all the U.S. publicity events following the release of her entertaining book, Celebrate, reportedly at the request of the royal staff.

Pippa’s allegedly been leaving the limelight for William and Kate and Prince George, especially in the lead-up to their three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand. But after they return, Anne says we can expect an engagement announcement from Pippa sooner rather than later.

“Pippa and Nico have definitely talked about marriage. I can almost guarantee we’ll see a ring on her finger before we see one on Cressida Bonas.”

Anne’s guess is that the wedding will be relatively small. Since it’s not an actual royal wedding, it will likely be held at a smaller church or a private estate. As far a wedding dress goes, Anne speculates that she’ll go for a lesser-known British label, like Amanda Wakeley or Sassi Holford.

[From Glamour]

I do think that the royal family had something to say about Pippa trading on her sister’s marriage to sell her sad little #PippaTips book. Maybe those words were said to Kate, who then passed on those concerns to Pippa. As for the wedding rumors… we’ve heard it before. Will she end up getting engaged to Nico? Perhaps. I think the ship has sailed for Pippa marrying someone with a title, even with her royal connections. So Nico is a decent option. And he seems to be fine with engaging in the hustle too. Which is always a plus. So: a Pippa engagement by June? I would enjoy that. Truly. And it really doesn’t look like we’re going to get a Harry-Cressida engagement anytime soon. My guess is that if Harry & Cressida do announce, it won’t be until the fall.

Oh, and I say that Pippa’s wedding dress would be Alice Temperley. Right?

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Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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79 Responses to “Will Pippa Middleton announce her engagement before Cressida Bonas?”

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  1. blue marie says:

    Not a royal wedding since neither is a royal, it’s just 2 rich folks getting married.
    I don’t know why I clicked and then commented on this, it annoys me.

  2. MinnFinn says:

    I like Pippa’s shorter hair. She should get her sister to cut hers shorter.

  3. Birdix says:

    Those cowboy boots shorten her legs and hide her slim ankles. I’m not a bag person, but I should recognize that one, right?

    • Stef Leppard says:

      That whole outfit is so hideous and unflattering.

      • Hazel says:

        Agreed. The proportions are all wrong for her & nothing quite ‘goes’. I like her friend’s outfit better.

    • Chabenz says:

      It’s from British label Modalu and they actually changed its name to the Pippa (the bag I mean). It used to be called the Bristol. Pippa carried it around a lot (in grey) around the time of her sister’s wedding and that’s when the name was changed. It is a good quality bag with lots of different compartments and a pretty lining. Retails for a relatively modest €300.

  4. Loopy says:

    Hats off to Carol Middleton, she truly instilled in her girls what type of man( see:come up) to always target. And no I am not saying women should not have standards, they are just so blatant with it.

    • Dame Snarkweek says:

      Blatant? Don’t know about Pippa but Kate only dated boys she met at school. If your social circle only includes wealthy men then isn’t that who you are more likely to marry? Do I think either Kate or Pippa would have ever married poor or middle class men? Ha ha ha hell no. But, this is the difference between a fact and an opinion.

      • Loopy says:

        Well wasn’t it said that Kate took a gap year just because William did, and also went to the same University as he did to in hopes of snagging him. Of course he obviously like what he saw also,so it all worked out.

      • Dame Snarkweek says:

        If true, yes, I can see your point.

      • We Are All Made of Stars says:

        Yes…and that was her point. They were most probably taught to aim for a social circle that only includes wealthy guys. They were certainly placed in that echelon by their parents. As if there’s nobody else to befriend in the world because you go to a certain school. Usually standards include things that are deeper and more important than “Snag a dude with as much status and privilege as you can lay your hands on.”

      • bluhare says:

        Yeah, they were pretty blatant, Snarky. I’m with Loopy.

        We’ll never have all the facts. Ever. So all of this is just projections and suppositions, and mine lead me to the above conclusion.

      • Jaded says:

        They weren’t called the Wisteria Sisters for nothing…

        “While growing wisteria is easy, you should take caution with it, as it can quickly overtake everything without proper care.”
        “The wisteria vine needs to be re-potted in a container that’s 2 to 4 times the size of the one it originally came in.”
        “Wisteria vines should be looked after regularly to prevent the vines from wrapping themselves around your house.”

      • AM says:

        I don’t think Kate was specifically aiming for William (there are, however, still some outstanding questions about her gap year and choice of university), but really was just trying to get into that set – much like Pippa did at Edinburgh. William just ended up being an easy mark.

      • Dame Snarkweek says:

        AM
        William was an easy mark? Lol I would say otherwise. Olivia Hunt had her eye on him at home. Jecka Craig had her eye on him abroad. And he had a campus girlfriend first year – forget her name but she was apparently voted best body by the first year students lol. That doesn’t include the young ladies we don’t know by name who expressed interest in/dated him during this time. Gotta give Kate credit for her appeal/A game, whatever it happened to be.

      • AM says:

        @Dame

        It’s been pretty widely reported that Jecca didn’t want to be with him and that there were many, many girls who weren’t interested in his baggage. I’m not saying there weren’t other reasons as well, but part of Kate’s appeal might have been her willingness to wait him out.

      • Dame Snarkweek says:

        Perhaps but if we are talking about the gap year/early uni days Will was still a hot ticket. Despite the strained explanation that Will had no other options is a bit laughable to me. I do think Kate waited him out but he was never without options.

      • AM says:

        This is all speculation but I think he had options, just not the ones he wanted.

  5. Allie says:

    She looks soooo much older than she actually is. Lay off the tan!

  6. Shazz says:

    Nouveau riche or self-made? Why do Americans suddenly become classist snobs whenever they’re talking about Brits?

    • Dame Snarkweek says:

      This all day long.

    • We Are All Made of Stars says:

      Because this is the type of thing that you would say.

    • FLORC says:

      Because we are snobs. The classist system exists amongst Americans. It’s just not as pronounced as other societies.
      And I can’t hate this distinction. It’s a way to mark behavior. Self Made is very much Carol. Hard working and Driven. The Self Made can tend to spoile their children so the kids don’t have t as tough as the parents… Nouveau Rich. And the Nouveau Rich tend to be seen vacationing a lot not understanding the true value of money. No real direction in life. Jobs here and there. Also how they flaunt their finances. Old money keeps it simple and doesn’t flaunt. New money needs to tell them world.
      Since it’s a Cressida/Middleton thread here’s a relatable example. When Kate (New money) lived on her own she lived in Chelsy (rich territory). When Cressida moved out to live on her own it was Sheperd’s Bush. More low key.

      • Rosehip says:

        FLORC
        Slightly off-topic, but i have come to like Carol, and i can’t quite remember why i kind of disliked her before. She seems courageous and not unlikeable at all.
        Your concepts seem right. Carol is a selfmade woman, while her kids have this nouveau riche vibe about them.
        In my family ‘nouveau riche’ is not the kind of people you would want to have anything to do with. My dad would still say that ‘money is a bad word’, and i’m 32..

      • HoustonGrl says:

        This is SO true FLORC.

    • bluhare says:

      Because humans in general can be classist snobs. If we weren’t we wouldn’t have hierarchies.

    • Dame Snarkweek says:

      We are all made of stars
      ??

    • Dame Snarkweek says:

      Of course I understand why these are prevailing distinctions/stereotypes but I dislike putting people in boxes, I guess. And I guess there are exceptions to every rule. For example old money tends to donate money while the middle class and “nouveau riche” tend to donate time and money in equal amounts. Also, old money is more likely to espouse “liberal” views about economic disparity while consistently backing legislation that is diametrically opposed to it. So the old money crowd is probably glad that some of the people they don’t want near them are so convinced that they are somehow the admirable ones.

    • Belle says:

      “Nouveau riche or self-made? Why do Americans suddenly become classist snobs whenever they’re talking about Brits?”

      That’s quite a broad-brush you are using.

    • bettyrose says:

      American culture still very much believes in the protestant ethic that hard work begets reward. Our politicians routinely preach that those with privilege have earned it and shouldn’t be questioned for their excess. We adore new money in this country. The very concept of the “American dream” is that any of us can earn the material rewards of the leisure class through sheer desire to do so. So, yeah, we’re hyper focused on the nouveau riche because we live in a society that votes against its own best interest in the faint hope we ourselves will one day be part of that world.

  7. Dame Snarkweek says:

    I adore good royal dishing as much as the next but something in me cringes a little at the misogyny of stories like this.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Yeah. Get that ring on your finger, girl! Snag him! Bag him! Ugh.

      • FLORC says:

        I think it was the Daily Show recently. There was a woman pushing her book that was all about how women need to find a man in their early 20’s or all hope is lost. And to go to college for their MRS because a University has the highest concentration of young men with futures The lady sounded a bit nutty and stuck in the 50’s. That way of thinking is still alive and well.

        All that aside I think they’re already engaged or engaged to be engaged. After US Weekly and Peoples both ran opposite stories the same week it was figured leads were leaked and they would test the waters on how the public received the news of either Pippa engaged or Pippa not engaged. Since both mags get their stories almost always from the horses or horses publicist mouth it was hard to ignore.

      • Dame Snarkweek says:

        FLORC
        Omg that makes my teeth set on edge. Unfortunately for these stepford wife advisors money alone does not a happy marriage make.

      • Mel says:

        “or all hope is lost”

        Interesting. All hope for WHAT, exactly?
        (Do tell, I need a good belly laugh. 🙂
        And I am too lazy/sleepy to search for it myself right now.)

      • FLORC says:

        All hope of having a man before your ovaries start shriveling up. Couldn’t find the clip on the DS site. It was pretty great. The book author spoke to FOX show interns that looked so terrified this woman was pretty much saying… If you don’t tag and bag a man before you graduate you’ll be alone forever. Before you know it you’ll be 30 and those men who are in your age group of job pool will be looking to marry those girls in their 20’s.

        I’m married and still in my 20’s, but was still put off by this woman.

      • Bridget says:

        @florc: ugh, the Princeton Mom. Called so because a couple of years ago she wrote a letter or something in the Princeton newspaper tellng the young women that they needed to find a husband during their college years basically because a good Ivy League boy (like the ones they were seeing every day) will have women throwng themselves at him and they’ll never be able to compete with the younger women. Essentially, bag them while they’re young so you can have kids and they’ll be obligated to stay with you even when you’re in your 40s and all gross from having kids. And now she’s written a book.

        I am actually kind of interested to see if this book actually sells. She’s got such a narrow viewpoint and she’s done a lot of press but she’s TOTALLY unappealng. What 20 something is going to buy this book? and like anyone older is going to want to.

      • FLORC says:

        Bridget
        Thanks for the ID on her. Yea, you would be surprised at how many ladies would buy that.
        I can see the logic and to a certain extent agree with it, but there’s a lot of respect that comes with blazing your own trail and the best men (imo) respect a self relient woman.

        I just can’t with this woman. Ladies that settle for nabbing a guy because they want to be lazy is a huge pet peeve. I know too many that feel that way. By the time they turn 30 the depression and lack of a better future sets in because they feel they will die alone and without children. Very sad.

  8. deb says:

    Not particularly interested in Pippa, but she needs some backbone. She is a private citizen and doesn’t have to listen to the royal family for goodness sake – where do they get off telling/asking her what to do? Seriously.

    • LadySlippers says:

      Actually deb the press office for either Charles or the Queen stated they don’t try to influence private citizens. If Pippa were getting pressure it’s likely coming from Carole or Kate not the BRF. (It’s a common misconception though)

      • bluhare says:

        Not sure I believe the press office on this one, LS. They’ve got every reason to deny it, and not many to admit to it.

        There’s no good reason to explain why Pippa didn’t do a promo tour for her book if you believe the palace press office.

      • justme says:

        @bluhare – I’ve often wondered about that myself. I know it is explained away that “Pippa is just lazy”, but actually I don’t think she is particularly lazy. Certainly not like her sister. She put a lot into that book and wanted it to succeed. The publishers seemed to feel that they were blindsided by the lack of a promo tour, so it looked as though they were expecting it when they signed her.

        She may have had some unofficial muscle put on her. Of course she would not have gotten the book without the royal connection so one could argue that it was justice.

      • LadySlippers says:

        I actually believe it blu.

        I look back at several missteps Charles made (Diana’s brother) and he kept making them. Same with the Ferguson clan. To me that shows the Spencer’s and Ferguson’s weren’t getting any ‘guidance’ from the BRF. So why would the Middleton’s be any different?

        Now Pippa suddenly pulling out of her promo tour sounds like something a bit more personal. Strictly an opinion and educated guess.

    • mayamae says:

      I only know about Pippa from what I’ve read here. I’ve gone along with all the snark against her because I know nothing else about her. But it finally struck me – why shouldn’t Pippa take advantage of Kate and her wedding? The BRF surely took advantage of it for maximum PR. I don’t get the idea of Kate giving up her family and cleaving on to her new family (as in all holidays now spent with BRF instead of her own – not that she’s adhered to this anyway). I’m sure I’m completely wrong and will be told why, but for the moment, it smacks of – Pippa should stay in her place.

    • wendi says:

      I suppose the pressure makes sense and is valid if she is trying to use her royal connection for monetary gain or publicity, but otherwise I think it’s selfish. She does not receive any benefits from the royal family and is not financially dependent on them so it’s pretty ballsy of them to try to control her — which is what this amounts to.

  9. Racer says:

    Toffee Modalu bag is fab, I have that one….and others. Thats all I got!

  10. Talie says:

    He’s better looking than the inbreds with titles, so good for her. I hope they build an empire together and move to America.

    • fairy godmother says:

      No, no, no, no, no!!

      America has enough problems. Please NO more Middletrashians- I beg you!

  11. John says:

    But will anyone care?

    PS That is one hard-looking gal.

  12. justme says:

    Thanks for posting these pictures. The Daily Mail and the Express posted pictures of her walking down the street without a smile on her face, which immediately alerted those who dislike her to the fact that she is miserable and unhappy and probably has broken up with Nico (because we all walk around with a big grin on our face every minute of the day!)

    Here she looks happy to be with her friend Rowena Macrae having lunch and just hanging out.

    Will she marry Nico? Who knows? I hope so since she seems happy with him. He is rich, if untitled, but I have always doubted that Pippa was quite as title-obsessed as people make out. For one thing, lots of titled men are not rich as well and I think Pippa would just as soon have the dosh.

    • mayamae says:

      Good Lord, why would she want a title? First of all, she can never rise above Kate’s title – if she’s competitive that way. Being title-free means she has none of the obligations that come with the title, but can still take advantage of what access she receives into that life through Kate.

      • justme says:

        Titles are nice – Pippa, Lady This and That, or the Countess of Whatever or the Duchess of Someplacegreenandpleasant — all very well, but the problem is that lots of titles are not attached to any serious dough. Nor is there a vast number of titled single men of approximately the right age (and wealth) who also know Pippa, who are available to be hunted down.

        From what I have seen of her college companions, there were two who were heirs (and they get the titles and money). One was Benjamin Fitzherbert, Lord Stafford’s heir who married Pippa’s former roomate, Georgina Hewlett (Pippa attended of course) and the other George, Earl Percy, with whom she seems to have always been great but platonic friends.

        Her other buddies tend to be gentry without titles or younger sons or just plain rich guys (with gentry connections) like her boyfriend at the time, JJ Jardine Paterson. I think rich and good-looking is up Pippa’s alley. All her boyfriends have those attributes, none of them however had titles.

      • WillowDreamer says:

        What about Alex Loudon?
        I think he is so handsome and wondered if she felt
        upset about that relationship ending?
        Does anyone know much about him or if he is
        attached to another girl?

  13. Juliette says:

    She’ll get married in McQueen just like her sister. The simple and deciding fact is that Pippa NEVER looked as good as she did in her custom McQueen maid of honor gown at Kate’s wedding. She’s got to at least TRY to look as good at her own wedding.

    It will be interesting to see if she does the traditional English countryside wedding which typically takes place at the parish church of the bride’s family. I could also see Pips going for something in Mustique (sooo private). A destination wedding wouldn’t draw quite as many parallels with Kate’s wedding.

    • FLORC says:

      English Countryside. That does sound nice. Rent out a small estate?

      I thought it would be a beach private wedding to distance herself from Kate’s. Won’t know until it happens I guess.

      • Rosehip says:

        That’s my bet too: McQueen and English Countryside.

      • bluhare says:

        Anmer Hall anyone? There’s a church right next door.

      • Rosehip says:

        Anmer Hall it will be!

      • FLORC says:

        It will never be Amner Hall.. That would be such a bad move. Plus it will be under renovations for quite some time assuming there are no redos.

        And Kate’s McQueen Dress was a rip off of another very recent publiciised wedding. The House of McQueen has gone down hill with the loss of McQueen. His genius could not be duplicated.

        And Pippa’s dress will be not good. I just dislike her style when it comes to dresses. Almost like she has a design in mind that never fits her body type.

    • Cricket says:

      Maybe Jenny Packham- at a significant discount from all the publicity Kate gave during this tour. And a country wedding at Amner Hall the Cambridges country pile on Sandringham estate conveniently near the local church.

      • bluhare says:

        I should always look down before I say something!! I just said that. Not the Packham, but the locale.

        I say McQueen for the dress.

      • Rosehip says:

        Yes and yes. She will have flowers in her hair, and wear her sister’s wedding earrings, as they are family heirloom now. Because there is no point in having a coat of arms and a signet ring without family heirloom wedding earrings. And we all know Pipster loves her new signet ring.

      • Dame Snarkweek says:

        Bet your bum there will be printed marshmallows.

      • Rosehip says:

        True! That James is one pro-active business man!

  14. Amanda_M87 says:

    I thought Pippa was already engaged.

  15. Nonny says:

    I woke up this morning, looked in the mirror and thought ‘man, I look rough’. Now I’ve seen these pics of Pippa Riddlebum I feel a lot better about myself. Thanks 🙂

  16. Jezzy says:

    She looks a lot older than her age.

  17. The Original Mia says:

    Are people waiting with bated breath for Pippa to announce her engagement? Really? I kinda doubt it. It’s been nice not seeing her in the daily tabs with her pinkie signet ring signifying to everyone that she’s related to royalty.

  18. HoustonGrl says:

    Um, they’ve only been dating for a year. Is it just me or does that seem a little soon to be engaged?

  19. Suze says:

    Pippa will probably settle down to a quiet and relatively obscure life – which is probably good for her.

    I like her shorter hair but my god that outfit is just hideous.

  20. Mrsjennyk says:

    Her bag is awesome

  21. stanhope says:

    The Pipa’s tips book was a big holler. The real book should be from the Middleton Mom…..The Inner Workings of Being a Courtesan. Now that’s a book that would sell.