There are two wedding anniversaries happening this week: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s eighth wedding anniversary (today), and Pippa Middleton and Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews’ ninth wedding anniversary (tomorrow). Pippa and TMW James married quickly after they started dating, although they had been circling each other for years. The British tabloids always made it sound like TMW James was obsessed with Pippa for years, while she merely settled for him after her big push to marry a titled aristocrat crashed and burned. Still, it’s become a good marriage for her and she seems much happier than her sister. Here are some highlights from The Mail Remembers: Pippa and TMW James’ Origin Story.

When Pippa Middleton married nine years ago in May, it was the culmination of James Matthews’s reported 10-year pursuit to win her over. But perhaps Pippa and the hedge fund manager, now 50, may never have even crossed paths if it weren’t for the ‘ruthless’ nature and determination of the Princess of Wales’s sister. At least that’s the opinion of Sunday Times bestselling author and royal biographer Tina Brown, who detailed Pippa’s rise in her book The Palace Papers.

‘Pippa’s social ascent seems more calculated than Kate’s,’ said Brown, who claims her nature was evident from her student days. ‘At Edinburgh University, she shared an apartment with two boys whose fathers were dukes.’ An alum told the biographer: ‘As soon as Pippa arrived at Edinburgh, she was assiduous about joining the right social circle. She was very charming about it, but quite ruthless in cultivating the ‘right friends,’ Brown added.

Pippa’s romantic quest concluded with billionaire hedge fund manager James, heir to the Scottish feudal title of Laird of Glen Affric and son of Eden Rock Hotel owners, David and James Matthews, who was, according to sources, always had his eye on Pippa. In 2016, the Mail on Sunday revealed that their tryst involved a decade of waiting, meticulous planning – and a dazzling campaign of gifts and treats that extended to her parents, too.

Thanks to the millions earned from Eden Rock Capital Management, the financial company named after his parents’ Caribbean hotel, James was in a position to woo Pippa in the most extraordinary style. It turned out that even before they became an ‘item’, James had flown the whole Middleton clan to St Barths and his parents’ hotel. They travelled on his £3 million private jet.

In 2016, the Mail on Sunday revealed that James had been patiently pursuing his bride-to-be for a full ten years – strategically planning his advances while waiting for Pippa to outgrow the eight-year age gap between them. And while other privileged young men might busy themselves with a series of girlfriends, James used the time to build a business and a fortune so vast he could treat her like a princess. Friends say he knew Pippa was the one from the moment she set foot on St Barth’s and confidently introduced herself to him. But with Pippa taken and an eight-year age gap between them, James was forced to bide his time.

Though he always stayed in contact, he had to watch from afar for six long years as Pippa finished her university studies and wrapped up relationships with two serious boyfriends, banker JJ Jardine-Paterson and cricketer Alex Loudon.

[From The Daily Mail]

Yeah, I’ll talk sh-t about the Middleton family, but Pippa seems to have a good marriage and she seems happy, so good for her. TMW James seems to support her in every way, and they have three children and live a somewhat quiet life. Of course, I’ve always had my doubts about James’ wealth – I believe he’s a millionaire, for sure, but the Middletons always promoted him as “terribly rich” and/or a possible “billionaire.” I think he and Pippa live quite comfortably, but if he was truly rolling in money, he and Pippa probably wouldn’t be involved in all of these petty disputes and scandals in and around Berkshire. Scandals like Pippa’s foray into running a petting-zoo business, which they just sold because it was drowning in debt. Petty disputes like their years-long campaign to shut down a public-use trail which cuts through their property.

Speaking of that footpath drama, the Daily Mail recently had a piece where they quoted Pippa and James’ neighbors at length over the closing of the footpath. One resident said: “They’re not even the proper Royal Family.” LOL. A local councillor named Tony Vickers said: “The path has been used for generations but money talks. The Middletons are not well connected with the community. There’s a sense they’re splitting the community. There are a number of very wealthy anti-ramblers but ordinary people and people who like walking would like to see it open.” Another resident said: “We have so many famous people living around here – footballers, other celebrities, they don’t make a fuss. They come here to live in peace, like we all do. Apart from the Middletons.” Pippa and TMW James are really tearing the community apart. Tacky, nouveau-riche drama. Just what I’d expect from the Middletons.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.