Pippa Middleton's Wealth Compared To Royal Sister Kate Might Surprise You

Kate Middleton may have snagged herself a Prince and a future seat on the throne, but her sister, Pippa Middleton, is the one rolling in dough. 

While Catherine, Princess of Wales, married into the royal family, which boasts nearly $30 billion worth of assets, if we're talking about independent wealth, Pippa has her beat. Kate is reportedly worth around $10 million on her own. This is thanks, in part, to Kate's parents, who once owned a lucrative party decorations brand called Party Pieces. While the business was at one point worth 30 million pounds, or roughly $38 million, they've since sold it after business slowed in recent years.

Regardless, Kate enjoyed a very lavish upbringing, living in the British suburbs and attending elite private schools and universities. Of course, Kate's sister, Pippa, also benefited from their parent's financial successes and enjoyed a cushy childhood alongside her sister. Yet, it's their marital ties that have really shuffled the financial deck. While the royal family is worth far more than Pippa's husband, he actually has a larger fortune than Prince William, who boasts $1.2 billion in real estate. Likewise, Pippa's personal net worth is much higher than Kate's. According to some reports, Pippa is worth five times what her big sister is worth — $50 million to be exact.

Pippa Middleton may have come from substantial means, but she's definitely not lazy. For several years, Middleton carved out a successful writing career, which consisted of writing blog posts for Party Pieces and eventually included bylines with Vanity Fair and more. And that's not mentioning her party planning book, which reportedly yielded her a six-figure advance. However, the Daily Mail reported that Pippa let her writing career go at the urging of her brother-in-law, Prince William, who was worried about how it would reflect on the royal family's reputation. If true, that certainly seems like quite a bit of royal overreach — but we digress.

She's certainly not hurting for money. Her husband, James Mathews, is reportedly worth $2 billion — nearly a billion more than William! Mathews acquired his professional wealth through his company, Eden Rock Group, "an investment advisory firm headquartered in London that was established in 2001," according to the company's website. "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," Wealth Quotient co-founder David Freidman shared with E! News in 2017. Mathews also previously established himself as a professional race car driver in London; however, he's long since given up his sporting career.

Similar to Pippa Middleton, James Mathews' family also helms a successful business. James is actually one heir to the Eden Rock hotel chain, a high-class hotel and resort located in St. Barths. Over the years, the lush establishment — which Mathews' father bought in 1995 — has become a haven for celebrities and public figures such as Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba, and many more. Middleton and James utilized the resort to celebrate New Year's Eve in 2016.

Having parents own a celeb-favorite resort is surely the solid foundation that can help put someone on the path toward billionaire status. But it's possible that James didn't receive much help from his parents. According to his brother, Spencer Mathews, their parents weren't necessarily the type to spoil their kids. "Money was never thrown at me," Spencer once told the Daily Mail. "I was only given £150 a month between the age of 12-15 and my father never helped me with money." He continued, "I made money through hard work and graft, I worked in a hotel as a waiter and as a nightclub promoter so now I have a firm understanding of money."