Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her younger sister Pippa Matthews, once famously close, are reportedly facing growing personal distance as their lives move in starkly different directions. With Princess Kate increasingly consumed by royal duties and Pippa embracing a quieter, private life, their once-close bond has, according to multiple sources, gradually weakened.
Reports in the UK press last week revealed that Princess Kate, 43, missed the fourth birthday celebration for her niece Grace, the daughter of Pippa and financier James Matthews. Instead, the Princess of Wales attended a Six Nations rugby match between England and Wales alongside Prince William. The decision reportedly underscored the growing strain between the sisters.
"Kate is painfully aware that things have been changing for awhile. The pressures of her public role have only increased since Queen Elizabeth passed away, pushing her husband and kids up the line of succession," a source told New Idea. "The unfortunate collateral of that has been losing the laid-back Middleton family way of things she holds so dear... especially her once close relationship with her little sister."
Although born less than two years apart, and once navigating boarding school and public attention hand in hand-most memorably during Kate's 2011 royal wedding when Pippa served as maid of honor-the sisters have lately been seen together less frequently. Both mothers of three, they have taken different paths: one toward the spotlight of the British monarchy, and the other toward a quiet, countryside family life.
They were last publicly photographed together at Wimbledon in July 2024, where onlookers noted a noticeably tense atmosphere between them-an unusual departure from their previously warm public appearances at sporting events.
Speculation intensified when Kate revealed last year that she had been undergoing cancer treatment. While her brother James Middleton issued a statement in support of her at the time, Pippa remained publicly silent-a fact some observers saw as striking.
Still, palace sources downplayed talk of a feud. "There has been no falling out between Kate and Pippa," a royal insider told New Idea. "I don't think that would ever happen. Of course, there are sometimes issues between sisters, but they have always had each other's backs."
Another source emphasized that their diverging circumstances are likely responsible for the distance. "They both have three kids, but other than that their lives couldn't be more different," the insider said. "Pippa and her husband are incredibly well-off and enjoy a private country life, whereas Kate is preparing her children to be the public faces of the monarchy. It's chalk and cheese."
The insider added, "I'm sure they still spend time together behind closed doors, but for now it seems Pippa has no interest in stepping back into the spotlight alongside Kate."
