Pippa Middleton's Kids Don't Have Royal Titles For One Reason

That Kate Middleton is the Princess of Wales and that her and Prince William's sons and daughter are princes and princess is known in every corner of the world. But George, Charlotte, and Louis will grow up with cousins with regular last names. That's because Pippa Middleton's children have no titles whatsoever. That might make sense at first, considering Kate and Pippa come from a non-aristocratic family. Since Kate wasn't born a royal, there is no reason for her relatives to have any.

However, Pippa actually has a title: Mrs. Matthews of Glen Affric the younger , a fancy, lengthy descriptor that has nothing to do with her sister. Instead, the title stems from Pippa's marriage to James Matthews, and it's not an actual title. At least not yet. When James' father David Matthews purchased the 10,000-acre estate, Glen Affric, in the Scottish Highlands in 2008, he became Laird of Glen Affric and his son became James Matthews of Glen Affric the younger — and heir to the estate.

As of now, James and Pippa hold only courtesy titles. When David dies, James is expected to become the Laird of Glen Affric and Pippa the Lady of Glen Affric. That should mean that James and Pippa's heirs — they have three children, Arthur, Grace, and Rose, born between October 2018 and July 2022 —  should get their father's title, right? Well, not quite. Laird and Lady of Glen Affirc aren't royal titles. In fact, to many analysts, they're not titles at all.

Pippa Middleton and James Matthews' future titles of Laird and Lady of Glen Affric are honorary titles that came with the purchase of a large amount of land. As such, they carry a different weight and aren't hereditary, which is why their children wouldn't take on the titles. "[Matthews'] father bought a feudal barony," royal historian Marlene Koenig told Town & Country in 2018. "'Laird' is not a title, but a description applied by those living on and around the estate." 

British journalist Duncan Larcombe further explained that ownership of land in itself isn't enough to earn anyone any actual titles. "James is heir to a fair amount of land, but it is nothing like a proper title," he said. Feudal baronies are different from peerages, which in England come with the nobility titles of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, or baron — depending on the rank. Peerages are inherited, though they can also be granted by a sovereign. Thus, Prince William could technically bestow a title on Pippa when he ascends to the throne.

That's unlikely, though. A more likely scenario would be for a future King William to grant titles to Carole and Michael Middleton to end their run as Britain's first and only grandparents of a future king to not have one, The Telegraph noted. In that case, Pippa would become a Lady, but her children would still not have any titles because her little brother, James Middleton, would be the one to inherit the peerage. 

Pippa Middleton will likely never have a royal title, but her kids won't grow up any less privileged than their royal cousins. Pippa is worth an estimated $50 million, which is more than Kate Middleton's $10 million. Of course, estimating Kate's net worth in monetary value is a bit disingenuous, but it doesn't take away from the fact that Pippa has a fortune comparable to the likes of Britney Spears.

Pippa's money mostly comes from her marriage to James Matthews, a former race car driver and successful hedge fund manager worth more than $2 billion. James did quite well for himself as an investment banker and C.E.O. of Eden Rock Capital Management Group, which he founded in the early aughts. "His stake in Eden Capital and the money he potentially has taken out over the last 16 years could make him a demi-billionaire or close to a billionaire on his own merits," WealthQuotient co-founder David Friedman told E! News in 2017.

Not to dismiss his skills, but James had a leg up. James comes from money, as his father, David Matthews, made a pretty penny as a car dealer and later in the luxury hotel business. In 1995, he purchased Eden Rock in St. Barts, whose name served as inspiration James' own company. Pippa and James live a cushy life in a 150-acre estate in Berkshire, which they purchased in 2022 for roughly $19 million, Hello! reported.