Here’s something weird: I haven’t written about James Middleton in a stand-alone post all year? That’s so strange. James Middleton has been out and about sparingly this year, attending Ascot and Prince Harry’s wedding and such, but he’s been pretty low-key in 2018. Last year, we heard repeatedly that James’ sad marshmallow company, Boomf, was struggling and losing millions of dollars. Like, by the end of 2017, the company had reportedly lost £3.4 million in 2015 and 2016 combined, and that the only thing keeping Boomf afloat last year were a series of mysterious loans from mysterious benefactors. Well… is Boomf still happening? Because there’s some question about what James is doing these days: apparently, he works as a guide at a Scottish hotel now?
He seemed to be set for personal and financial success when, in 2013, he launched a novelty marshmallow business and began a high-profile love affair with actress Donna Air. But life has taken an unexpected downturn for James Middleton, 31, the Duchess of Cambridge’s little brother – who has taken a job as a guide at a Scottish hotel owned by his other sister Pippa’s father-in law.
After splitting from Donna in February and with new accounts showing his business Boomf has posted losses of £3 million over the past three years – the youngest Middleton is working at Glen Affric Lodge near Loch Ness, owned by David Matthews, father of Pippa’s hedge fund manager husband, James. The new role has seen Middleton posing for some cringe-making publicity pictures: one shows him in tweeds with a deerstalker, while another shows him posing cheesily with hotel guests at dinner.
And it seems the move north could be permanent. ‘The countryside is where I’m happiest and I’ll be taking my four dogs to Glen Affric with me,’ he said recently in a magazine interview.
Oh, lord. I wonder if James Matthews regrets ever marrying Pippa Middleton sometimes. Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews was already forced to give money to his brother-in-law around the same time as the wedding. TMW Matthews had to throw good money after bad at Boomf, and with millions of dollars in investment totally gone, now TMW Matthews has given his brother-in-law a job. As a guide on the family estate. Yikes. It’s incredibly embarrassing, but only because James Middleton fancied himself a “CEO of a marshmallow empire” and he spent years working royal and Middleton contacts for millions in investment. Now that the money is gone, was this really James Middleton’s only option, to work as a guide at his brother-in-law’s family estate? Would no one else hire him after he mismanaged millions of dollars?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Why doesn’t he work for his parent’s company with a view of taking it over?
That was my first thought too. Neither him nor Kate ever really worked for their parents but why? It would’ve made so much more sense.
I assume it’s because his parents know him best….
That’s what I’m wondering. With both daughters married off to insanely wealthy men, he seems like the obvious choice to take over. Kate and Pippa would’ve been better at running it I’m sure, but since they’re not interested, doesn’t he get it by default?
Because they recognize he’d run it into the ground? And after he did so, the truth about how little that company actually makes would come out.
But he didn’t have to to anything serious with the company. They could’ve given him the pastry page to edit to eternity, call it “marketing department” and leave it at that.
Perhaps they recognize he cannot even handle that.
@notasugarhere – you really think they do? My guess would be his parents offered him something like that but he refused for obvious reasons. Didn’t he drop out of the university? I wonder if there’s an age limit of how late you can return to finish your degree. Would’ve been a good move for his self-esteem.
For obvious reasons? They wouldn’t even have to have him do the work. Kate didn’t do any of the photography, someone else did, but they still kept claiming Kate did the photos when they were all credited to Millie P. He’s been sent off to the care of the Matthews family for some reason. Because these money antics are an embarrassment, they’re trying to get him married off to an aristocrat, whatever.
@notasugarhere – Obvious, of course! You just stated yourself – his parents “recognize he cannot even handle that.” This has been a prevailing opinion of James in the press. That he is incapable and his parents/friends bankroll him. I can see how the young man might want to try and go do something on his own. And fail but try going his own way. At least avoid being called mamma’s boy and fail at his own venture. Pippa tried too. Her problem was that she thought she was the real deal and quickly learnt otherwise. Kate didn’t even pretend to do anything besides work for her parents and their friends.
He’s been handed a job by his sister’s in-laws. How on earth is that doing something on his own?
Really, it doesn’t make much money? Have you seen financial records, NotA? I thought it was a private company?
Read the expose about the Middletons money in the Telegraph, coupled with their two offshore mortgages on their previous house. A lot of smoke and mirrors has gone into the image of them being “rich”
Because that would be a real job with real work. The Middleton children don’t seem to fancy that lifestyle.
Would it not be ok to be gay in his circumstances? I’m sad for him if that is the case.
Why do you think he’s gay?
A lot of Celebitchy readers are quite homophobic and think they have, ugh, “gay-dar” and can tell someone’s sexuality from their face. Basically these people are stuck in a Sex in the City episode from 1999. He’s one of the targets of this homophobia.
@ Flo
There have been quite a few pictures published of him at all-male parties where the revelers wore nothing much but bow ties. Some of the guys wore bikini briefs & others were nude.
That sort of partying does provoke speculation.
@ Tuille
Sounds like an end of season footy do. Which, while I can understand the speculation, tends to be nothing more than silly blokes who have had too many drinks.
Lady T, the Queen’s cousin just married his male partner, and apparently, she’s fine with it.
@ Flo: what’s with the thin-skin about speculating whether James is gay? Would it be that terrible? Also attacking the gossipers without talking about the question itself, smells of defensiveness. Sorry.
This seems like an unrelated trolling question because where is that raised in Kaiser’s post?
One of the Queen’s cousins, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, married his partner this week, with his ex-wife Penny Mountbatten in attendance. In fact, Penny was the one who gave him away.
There’s nothing wrong with his job, so I hope people don’t complain about it. It’s a respectable one, and nobody is above it.
He does seem quite lost, though. I hope he finds his place.
It’s not an embarrassing or shameful job, just as it isn’t shameful that his business failed. So many people have ideas and try to make a go of them, and it simply can’t work out for everyone. There are so many factors that determine if a business will succeed; I won’t mock him for trying something different.
+1
+++..True.. People should not be ridiculed for trying. Who knows if his business would not succeeded. It’s not such a bad idea. There are plenty of global enterprises that started from selling a candy.. I remmeber laughing at someone that had started 5 businesses but failed and was in MBA school to figure out how to make the 6th one work. I was young and stupid not to realise the courage and grit needed to even try at making 5 companies work.
I appreciate the kindness of your post. Work is work, and he’s not out there doing and saying awful things like some famous children. His parents might not be the easiest people to work for or have been the easiest to grow up with, despite or perhaps even due to privilege and expectations. I wish him and all the rest of us happiness.
Not to mention it is at an incredible historic resort in a stunningly gorgeous location.
That’s my thought Annie. The guy is willing to take the job available. Absolutely nothing shameful about that. Good for him. I hope he finds his way.
It isn’t like he applied for a job, competed against others, and earned his place. He has been handed a job at his sister’s in-law’s estate. Maybe Terribly Moderately is taking those millions he lost in the marshmallow business out in trade with James as a tour guide.
The job is a win/win. James can get paid to go hunting, fishing, shooting, and the Mathews benefit from making someone royal adjacent available for dinner conversation. In that respect, he is uniquely qualified because there is absolutely no one else who fits the bill that would accept the assignment.
So yet another example of the Middletons cashing in on the royal connection.
Doesn’t sound like a bad job at all. At least it’s a job. Didn’t we just go through this with Geoffrey Owens?
I just read through James’ old interviews and he was very indignant about being criticized because he was concerned about his employees feeling secure about their jobs. Now we find out he’s a tour guide on his sister’s fil’s estate.
Geoffrey Owens is in a different category. He’s just a guy doing a job. James was an employer who seemed incompetent but privileged and arrogant and went through three businesses. His quotes about cakes through mail slots and how he shut down those businesses with his head held high because he learned so much etc. are cringe-inducing.
Boomf is still operating but who knows how much responsibility James had for their losses. James, however, will always be fine. He had those companies because of his family connections and now he has his current job for the same reason and I think he’s earned some of the mocking he’s getting.
Thanks so much for this and all replies to Annie’s comment. I was thinking the same and saddened by the archaic negativity re money and position. Frankly, the Middleton’s show what a family is and could be at its best. Look out for and help each other. They’ve had great positive effect on BRF as a result and I’m happy about it and for all of them.
I hope James is happy throughout his life. I’d love his job.
Hahahaha. So much for his expensive education and the inevitable connections with the elite. He’s got some kind of nerve blowing his BIL’s millions and now begging a job from Pippa’s FIL. I bet Carole is not amused with her embarrassing son.
He dropped out of uni to become a businessman. Something along the lines of you can’t learn how to manage a business at uni. I wonder how much he regrets it now.
I wonder if there was ever a shouting match between siblings an ma Carol as Kate’s royal aspirations had to alter lives of everyone in the family, including those not comfortable with becoming a public person.
I think Michael was the only one who stayed out of the spotlight. I think with the Middleton siblings, if they had been successful, they would have been happy with the press attention. My guess is they don’t like public criticism, not that they dislike public attention.
They also happily wear their signet rings and go to Wimbledon every year, so they can’t complain about the attention if they take the perks.
Yeah this seems to be send the screw up out of town till things cool down. I also wonder if they hope he will meet some Lords daughter? Or some rich woman? It’s interesting to think that Spencer Matthews seems to have his life much more together than the future Queens brother.
Indeed, Spencer has done very well for himself and genuinely seems happy now with his wife and son. I always had a bit of a soft spot for Spencer, he was a bit of a prat at times but he seems like a nice guy.
I feel for James, actually. He is a not very bright business wise and seem to be a victim of gender inequality. Clearly, he is not able to make it on his own. He thought that if his sisters were able to have riches and fame, he too, could become a successful guy! He didn’t realize he had to marry well, not start his own company. But then, that option is frowned upon in our society. A guy marrying for money is not the same as when a woman does that. He should’ve just worked for his parents and get a nice big office with the desk.
Let’s just refer to james as Rob Kardashian,
There is actually a long history in the UK aristocracy of men marrying women for money to shore up their estates, especially in the Victorian era. The problem is that James doesn’t have a title to offer anyone.
He’s had now what…two, three companies that he tried to make a go of that went bust. If I was Carole or Mike, I don’t think I’d want to give him the reins either; I’d rather just sell it and reap the benefits of the sale (which of course, will probably go to James, as Pips is well off now, as is Kate).
No shame in his job. Even if it is on an in-law’s estate, he is working. Just like Geoffrey Owens taking a TJ’s job to pay the bills, it’s honest work. James didn’t go out advertising it, so let him be to get on with his life, however it may go.
A novelty marshmallow company? Some people come up with the strangest ideas they think will make millions of dollars.
Nothing wrong with his new job. He’s working, and not all jobs are the best, but it’s still a job
Well, after previous generations kept Pet Rocks, I can’t say I fully blame people for thinking ridiculous ideas could work.
My husband still has his pet rock from childhood. He says they are very attached.
I find him attractive. I should go crawl in a hole.
He looks like a Grand Duke of Russia with that beard 😉
I am a tour guide in Scotland. I studied history for four years at university and I travel widely to learn new things about my country. I love my job but it’s not easy. Middleton makes a mockery of it and I am extremely offended at the images being portrayed at Glen Affric of him in tweeds playing at being a “laird.” We have a rich and varied culture, one which I highly doubt he knows or cares about. I truly hope he takes his new role seriously
Oh good grief. The current owner is dealing with sexual assault charges. It may well be that James is helping them out under the circumstances. He’s family. No degree required when the owners are close to and will educate him.
I don’t have the kind of hate on for James that some people do. Keep in mind Boomf wasn’t only his idea – it was co-founded by a guy who made magnets based on instagram photos.
I feel like he doesn’t really know what to do with his life, and his sisters married wealthy guys, and don’t have to worry about the same sort of things he did. And he’s the baby of the family, so I’m sure mom and pop doted on him more because of that. He was able to skate on that for a while, I think.
Maybe this job with the BIL’s estate is just a passing phase – or maybe he’s actually enjoying it. It’s hard to say, but I don’t like the way that people look down on it. He’s not some criminal mastermind, I think she’s just a guy who doesn’t know what he wants out of life. And he’s been public with his dyslexia, so school hasn’t come perfectly easy to him, either. Maybe this is a good fit for him – even if it’s just for now.
It’s better he’s out in countryside working an honest job, living a quiet life, rather than trying to be an elite, quasi businessman. Going to college and actually being trained in a profession, are two different things.
The DM is all about envy and hatred. This is a “look how the mighty have fallen” type story, so that fits with their raison d’être. It’s an awful site.
ETA this is a reply to Mee. Not sure how I managed to mess it up. ☺️
I agree. I have no time for Katie Keen and her lack of work ethic, but she chose to join the royal family. James didn’t ask to be a public figure. It does speak to larger issues we have in this country with people staying within their social class. (This doesn’t have anything to do with money btw, wealthy working class people like Alan Sugar and Bernie Ecclestone are feted for being who they are – it’s all about the perception that the Middletons are attempting to climb social classes, which is frowned upon).
It’s a bit strange because lately I kept seeing Boomf ads on Instagram. Some sort of present box that explodes on you and a greeting comes out? I though it was funny and cute. Did he rebrand and it failed?
I feel he needs to go back to Uni, get a degree in business management, and perhaps start working from the ground up at his parents’ company.
ADDING: He’s still listed in the company, as WONKA IN CHIEF. This is not a joke. Sophie Dummer is CEO
I’ve never understood building an entire business only on novelty marshmallows. How many novelty marshmallows does someone buy?
Well at least he’s working an honest job. ..
Boomf still exists and James still works for them. I guess he’s more founder/ idea giver now and not so much CEO anymore.
And seriously working as guide in Scotland sounds awesome. Beautiful Scotland! I’d do it too 🙂
The sneering tone of the Daily Mail automatically makes me side with him by default. Do whatever you need to do. A job is a job.
Perhaps he realized that despite his parents intentions and pressures from their social circles, he isn’t cut out for that life. He tried to be a part of that life and it doesn’t seem like it was ever a good fit.
There’s no shame in trying and failing. Most businesses fail. It’s ok. It’s not a measure of your value, worth, or character. People leverage their networks all of the time for employment and housing opportunities. Why is it shameful for James to ask his well-connected brother in law for a job with his family enterprises? Is that any different than my fictional brother asking my fictional husband for a job at his carpet cleaning business when he separates from the military?
I started out in a military career and then hustled to transition to a dream high-powered career. I hated it and was fired. So what? Eventually I transitioned to a career that is more in line with my personality and current lifestyle. I finally feel like I’m where I am most impactful and I’m satisfied with my role.
If James is happy and isn’t hurting anyone, big claps to him. He’s not done anyone any harm and he deserves to live a life of his design.
I think his current “job” irritates those who went to school and hustle to get there. I feel for them. The world is unfair like that. I don’t see a problem with asking your family/relatives to help. Most do it if they have the opportunity and James is very lucky.
Well said
he could get a job the way most of us do but I think the middletons feel they’re above that. they also want to earn more money than they would if they went the traditional route to get a job so they use their connections instead. the vast chances both he and pippa have gotten unearned by their own merit and how those chances have been unsuccessful speaks volumes about them. i’m assuming their parents aren’t planning on passing along the party planning business onto them as they would drive it into the ground
This again? A person has a job and now y’all are throwing shade. YOU WRITE GOSSIP FOR A LIVING. Go to hell.
And yet you purposely come here to read it so…
I don’t see anyone “throwing shade” (eugh, how I loathe that expression) other than the original source DM article. It’s actually a very respectable job, one for which this layabout no doubt completely lacks any respect, sense of history, or qualifications.
Probably an arrangement to help pay back those millions he lost. Th e Middletons did their kids a disservice by not instilling a work ethic in them. They rode on Uncle Gary’s money and relied on getting their daughters married off to artistos. Congratulations, I guess?
I agree.
And worse: they neglected one of their children: James.
No proper formal education. No proper work experience.
Not even adult evening education or something akin to a vocational college or an apprenticeship.
I guess that James is going to branch out into the hotel business?
James gave some pretty arrogant interviews and it’s never easy to admit failure, so hopefully he’s learned something from all this and will tackle the opportunities he’s lucky to have with more maturity and humility.
It’s interesting that all three Middleton kids are capable of great focus and perseverance at sports but not much else.
How can you lose Mio Pound 3.4 with a marshmallow company? I mean the basics don’t cost much: sugar, protein/egg white, some food colours and perhaps a printer?
Does he actually need to work at all? Lord knows Kate and Pippa didn’t. Better to quietly live off his parents’ largesse than take a position in which his lack of ability makes him stick out like a sore thumb?
He wouldn’t need that much ability for an ordinary job like: accountant, floor manager etc. He got his A-levels so I suppose he can read and write sufficiently well despite being dyslexic.
However he would need some work ethics and well, in the middleton family there is no regard for work ethics unless it is golddiggin’.
But I suppose that ain’t good enough a position for mrs high and mighty carole middleton.
I sometimes wonder what mrs middleton thinks about her own husband michael who was merely a flight dispatcher and allegedly she had tried to catch a pilot.
The issue everyone seems to have missed is that James has dyslexia which must making tasks such as running a company a challenge.
How incredibly offensive of you. Dyslexic doesn’t mean unintelligent or incapable, so stop with the excuses. Richard Branson, Stephen Spielberg, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein. All dyslexic.
Tom Cruise is dyslexic as well.
You know what though – the guy is working and earning a living. Let’s not shame him for that.
He tried running a business. It didn’t work out. He’s still out there trying to earn a living though.
They probably wanted to get him as far away from journalists as possible, put him on ice for awhile. Luxurious ice, sure, but ice nonetheless. Don’t feel bad for them; they’ll just get their accountants to write it off on their taxes.