Increasingly, it become clearer that James Middleton is never going to light the world on fire with his sparkling wit and business acumen. His businesses are always a disaster, even Boomf! Who would have thought that transferring Instagrams onto marshmallows wasn’t a huge moneymaker?! But at least one of the Middleton children ended up getting their mother’s drive and moneymaking capabilities: Pippa. I’ve defended Pippa’s ability to hustle before, but I got sidetracked by #PippaTips, the failure of her book and her rather tedious “journalism” career. As it turns out though, Pippa is making bank.
She has never made any claims to being a brilliant businesswoman but it seems that is exactly what Pippa Middleton is. The Duchess of Cambridge’s younger sister has raked in nearly a quarter of a million pounds in the last year, according to figures released by Companies House.
Pippa is the sole director and shareholder of PXM Enterprises Limited which has assets totalling £229,241, including £211,521 in cash in its first year. By contrast, the companies belonging to younger brother James have never posted a profit and two have now been de-registered. The two, Nice Cakes Ltd and Nice Wine Ltd, had assets worth just £20 when they closed, according to Companies House paperwork.
As a result, Pippa has made approximately £229,221 more than her brother in the period between the company’s incorporation in May 2013 and the end of May last year. In it, she lists the nature of the business as being ‘Other publishing activities’, perhaps in a reference to her much-maligned party book, Celebrate!. Along with the book, Pippa, 31, is believed to have earned the money with a number of writing assignments, which including her regular column for supermarket magazine, Waitrose Kitchen. She also penned a series of columns in her position as a contributing editor of Vanity Fair and another for a British newspaper. Her other source of income comes from her parents’ company Party Pieces, where Pippa is employed to edit web magazine, the Party Times.
The documents show that after paying creditors £115,000, her business was left with a profit of £115,192.
I don’t understand the £115,000 in debt. What did she need to buy on credit? Her jobs are pretty simple: she’s a half-assed essayist, half-assed cook and half-assed party planner. Why do those jobs need £115,000 in start-up costs? Does she have, like, really expensive office space? In any case, Pippa is making good money for being little more than a professional socialite and hostess. It’s such a throwback job description, right? But kudos to her – at least one of the Middleton siblings has a work ethic.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
That’ll buy a lot of self tanner and eye liner.
Ha!
She’s paying an editor to edit her editing?
I know it’s reaching, but perhaps her lawyers? She did threaten to sue the authors of #pippatips (book and twitter site). I think she’s represented by Harbottle & Lewis. If she has them on retainer for image protection and rights, as well as all her legal work, that could be super expensive.
Edit: in addition, what AmandaPanda said below.
LAK
When she was threatening to sue #PippaTips wasn’t she using royal lawyers? That was part of the scandal or at least rumored to be. Also, it lead to stories the Midds were considering themselves as royalty along with using the RPO’s.
Florc: Harbottle & Lewis are the royal lawyers.
The original report said she used royal lawyers and worded in a way that implied the royals were paying her legal bills.
I doubt that is true, although the Middletons being represented by the same firm that represents the royals can be taken to imply all sorts especially where the social climbing accusations are concerned.
Thanks LAK
I can see people or a certain level of wealth also using things like banks, lawyers, house servants as the royals. Maybe even because the royals use the same things.
It would make a big difference if even any part of the bill was picked up by and royals. Though given the time this all happened there were lots of rumors and open speculation the Midds were cash poor and William was helping them.
I’ve yet to see evidence that leans any truth either way though regarding the lawyers.
she’s probably running a lot of expenses through the business – legal and tax advantageous
nice little earner esp when you consider how much free swag/lifestyle stuff she probably gets, and that her parents pay for her accommodation. that’s basically her spending money.
Did she owe money on the advance for her book flop?
http://writerunboxed.com/2011/11/28/11-frequently-asked-questions-about-book-royalties-advances-and-making-money/
Short answer Nk868 is No. She got to walk away with about $600k.
The link explains what an advance is and how money is made in those deals. It’s not lengthy and gets right to the point.
I wonder what percentage of that income comes from “working” at Party Pieces. And how much she pays for things like a two-week Mustique vacation….
To be fair, would you pay your own way on a family vacation. Especially if it’s a family treat which it’s noted the Midds vacations are. Rumored to pay for William as well sometimes.
Maybe she has people working for her.
If you’re referring ro the expenses amount, I think her payroll cost would be deducted from the amount the company earned *before* reporting the profits. So that £200£ + figure is after she pays for staff and rent and business-related costs like that.
Not sure about the terms. It says she had “assets” of £229,241, including £211,521 in cash in the first year. So then she had to pay the creditors £115,000. So that could mean the liabilities (assets vs liabilities), which could include people working for her (freelance, not employees) along with utilities, rent, other debts, whatever.
We have no idea how she got to this figure…I don’t think a strong work ethic has as much to do with it as giving herself the money.
Maybe incorporating herself was her way to legally take on money for appearances, interviews, swag, etc.? It would be a big surprise/change if a member of the Middleton Family was open about the finances of their business dealings.
Didn’t Daniel Craig incorporate himself? He reports things like dental work and gym fees as the cost of doing business.
Exactly what I’m thinking, too. This is Carole’s mini-me, so she’s probably writing off most of her travel and clothing expenses, appearances or participation in charity sports events, personal trainers, fitness and sports classes because she’s found ways to combine them with or classify them as “work”. If it can be monetized (like volunteer hours), I bet she’s writing it off.
Nota
I think so too. It’s smart to do so.
A lot of people incorporate and have the income run through the corporation and pay themselves a salary.
Travel, clothes, make-up, hair dresser… costs.
I do find it disgusting that the Middleton children are using their royal connections. Can’t they find something more productive and professional than “professional hostess”?
I was at the Salon the other day, and a lady sitting next to me who’s turn it was next told the hairstylist that she wanted sausage curls. I never realised that lady was staring at me and asking me to mind her bag and then she said “You look like you ate a bowlful of poop”. I guess my expression gave me away . Oops. But she never would have known anyway. So yeah, these sisters have given me an aversion to sausage curls. It looks horrible on both. I don’t get why they insist on it. Plus, girlfriend @PippaTips needs to chill with the fake tan. (or change her make up artist).
I don’t understand why she favours this orange a tan. Even when she was younger and unknown except as Kate’s plus one, she was papped this dayglo colour.
Thanks, FKA Pri… I had to scroll back up to look at her hair again. Riiiiiight….now I understand what you all mean by “sausage curls”. Yuck. Someone should tell her that the very obviously fake tan looks ghastly. I find her not-very-attractive (not that she can help her genetics), and that tan and make up make her look a lot older than she is. I just don’t understand why some women think they look vibrant, healthy, sexy or whatever, with orange leather skin.
Well, what Kate usually has are not sausage curls. That’s just a name tossed around here. Kate’s hair might start out as loose to somewhat tight curles that get brushed out for volume, but stay curled at the end. True sausage curls is what you see on creepy dolls.
Pippa’s orange is something else. They look ok until standing near someone without the tanner. Then it shows how orange they are.
And does tanner mae your skin leathery? Or is that the sun and smoking?
I see… Thanks for explaining, FLORC. No, fake tan doesn’t make skin leathery, as sun and smoking do, but her colour just reminded me of the big, old, slouchy, tan-orange leather bag my son’s partner has been carting around for several years. It’s a really beautiful bag, but nobody would want it as a face…
TeaAndSympathy
(love your name)
I don’t know if it’s from sun abuse, smoking or genetics, but all the Midd women have the same skin. I think the odds were stacked against Pippa and being orange doesn’t help.
Do you remember post wedding her skin color was called “Royal Mocha”. Everyone had to have it.
She did just spend a couple of weeks in the Caribbean. It could be a real tan.
You call this a work ethic? I doubt she is doing that much writing. She got a book advance for being Kate’s sister. Her expenses probably include hiring someone to help her write and edit her articles. Her book was a flop so I doubt she’ll get another big book deal like that for a long while. I think she will continue to make money this way for the rest of her life. Just being a Kardashian type who gets free stuff and money to show up to events and write silly articles about party planning. She doesn’t have the talent or work ethic to be the next Martha Stewart or even Goop.
It is unfortunate (severe understatement) that this “work ethic” only showed up after her sister finally dragged William down the aisle. She didn’t show a peep of an effort before then. They could have set her up with her own company years ago with Uncle Gary’s money. If she wanted to be a writer, PP could have printed her books print-on-demand, etc. Now, even if she had any talent (doubtful), all it looks like is trading on royal connections. The entire family is guilty of this.
I have some sympathy for her predicament pre-kate’s wedding.
The whole family had to circle the wagons in order to lockdown the marriage.
They could have explored employment avenues that didn’t trade on the connection, but perhaps they felt it was impossible.
As much as I think Pippa used the connection to cultivate trophy friends, I also think she has shown that she is willing to work irrespective of the results. She didn’t pretend to work during Kate’s dating years, and she’s sort of found work, post wedding, in areas that follow on from the work pre-wedding.
James on the other hand straight up uses the connection for anything and everything he thinks he can get. I’ve never heard someone name drop a trophy connection like he does, pre AND post wedding. He doesn’t appear to have Pippa’s self awareness about the trophy connection and of course when it goes wrong he blames the very same trophy connection that he used to get the opportunity in the first place!!
The whole family had to circle the wagons in order to lockdown the marriage.
LAK – you really had me laughing at that one. I’ve always thought of you as the royal encyclopedia and a serious sort at that, but you have a great sense of humour too. Thanks for the chuckle.
Actually, Pippa was the PP blog editor & held a similar job for a London catering company–can’t remember the name of it–leading up to her sister’s wedding. So she was employed–however lightly.
The Duchess of Northumberland’s comment that Pippa “Wasn’t quite wife material” when her son and heir to the Dukedom, George Percy, split with Pippa, was one of the most hilarious bits of shade thrown at the Middletons ever, the shaft sent flying with a smoothness that the British nobility execute so impeccably. How Carole Middleton must have gnashed her teeth at the next best thing to a royal son in law, the heir to one of the nation’s most prestigious ancient dukedoms, slipped through her claws.
I wouldn’t say that was impeccably executed. We’re not talking eye-brow-raised-dowager-shade here – it’s not like you had to read between the lines to “get” her drift, which would seem like the finesse you are referring to. Anyway, saying someone is or isn’t “wife” material is totally sexist.
HoustonGirl, I don’t see how this is sexist. The Duchess of Northumberland would have said a similar thing about James “Not husband material” or “not son-in-law material”. It doesn’t have to do with gender, it has to do with obvious social climbing, nouveau riche behaviors, etc.
I wonder what she meant by that; couldn’t have been her background as Jane Percy didn’t come from the aristocracy either, did she?
Bluhare
It could be to how Pippa carried herself and associated with others.
I’ve seen this behavior just without the aristo title.
Social climbing, less descreet, or being someone who fumbles with a certain level of social graces could be what is being referenced in the comment.
You want someone who will only draw in the right kind of attention and interact with a level you find proper.
To a more common degree think of it like that boy or girl you were happy your son or daughter didn’t date for too long and not the literal aristo titles.
Sorry that got long. Kept typing to make sure I said it correctly.
I thought George Percy was gay anyhow?
She looks like Nellie Oleson- those ringlets, the smugness.
I think Enty’s recent BI mentioning the sister of a Duchess in connection with certain types of business investment was, shall we say, right on the money.
I wish she would teach a Master Hustling 101 class. I’d pay top dollar for it.
Well you know they called the Middleton girls at St. Andrews the “Wisteria Sisters” because they were fragrant, decorative . . . and climbing.
Wisteria is also had to remove, so there was that association too.
Yes, wisteria is like kudzu. It will take over everything, is extremely difficult to eradicate, kills other plants, and will gradually pull down the structures it climbs. Ah, the British and their language of flowers. Whomever came up with that moniker for the sisters really didn’t like them.
I have a lovely hybrid wisteria vine in my back yard training on an arch and fence. It’s a vibrant light blue and I love when the light hits it. I didn’t tend to it for 2 weeks and it nearly invaded a nearby tree. It would have been a disaster for my sugar maple! #firstworldproblems
Really though. Once it latches to something it’s not letting go and not going away.
It can also kill itself by being too heavy for what it’s climbing. Unfortunately, it can also take the support out too. 🙂
Haha Bluhare. Very good point… Hmm…
Once wisteria latches onto structures it becomes very insideous. Can tear down the oldest and strongest of building. Cough.
I’ve seen it choke the life out of pine trees.
Go Pippa!
I have a box of Boomf that was given to me last year by my daughter who works as a consultant in hi-tech start-ups and what’s new entrepreneurship in NYC. I don’t know what to do with them.
They are on my bookshelf…
Pippa could have built herself a career. Yes, she would have used her connections to launch, but could sustain herself. Instead, she fumbled. Where did she go wrong?
When she became big enough to get a parody she didn’t laugh it off. She could have prevented them from banking on her name without it turning out like it did.
When she got new writing jobs she didn’t perfect her writing skills. She coasted like there wasn’t room for improvement.
And she associated with an unsavory crowd that ended being publicised post gun pointing in France. And using the RPO’s and her book signing without any royalty present wasn’t a great move. It rubbed people the wrong way.
In addition she printed a book that retailed originally for $50 in the states that stated the obvious. It was a joke. This highlights some of the best stuff.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/pippa-middletons-19-most-painfully-obvious-pieces#.xcGgMKg2L
You know, reading through that, I was reminded of a early-mid century hostessing manual.
Obviously Mrs Beeton’s guide to household management is too detailed and was aimed at Victorians, but Pippa’s book reads like one aimed at 1940s/50s hostess.
LAK
Strangely enough I have read that. Household Management. My late grandmother had it and used it. It is much more detailed.
I did like Pippa’s drink cooling methods though. Gret example of excessive details.
Nota
There was heavy speculation by many royal watchers that pointed fingers at just that. And by the French press I thought.
There is also strong suspicion that royal pressure was exerted to get her out of criminal charges for her foolish behavior in France. That is unlikely to have gone over well with some.
Did anyone else enjoy the math on Pippa’s gross income versus her brother’s? The $20 deduction had me giggling.
@Bluhare – Jane Percy may not have been landed aristocracy but her family is reasonably distinguished. Her father was a stockbroker and after her parents divorced, her mother married Ninian Buchan-Hepburn, 6th Baronet. Jane met the Duke at his cousin’s birthday party, so she must have been enough in his local circle to be invited. She was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland by then PM Gordon Brown, and is patron of nearly 200 charities. Comparing Jane Percy socially to Carole Middleton, who started life in a council house and whose grandfather was a coal miner (mind, I’m using THEIR standards, not suggesting I support the classism) and who married an airline pilot is not equitable. Carole is strictly nouveau riche.
Who or wtf is a Pippa? I now who her sister is.