Pippa and James, the 'nearly royals': Why courtiers are worried by the rise and rise of Kate's very pushy siblings

No christening is complete without a family photograph, a treasured memento of a special day. But for all its formality, the official portrait of Princes Charlotte’s baptism is no mere snapshot, but a striking picture of modern royalty.

The baby princess is flanked by her parents, grandparents Michael and Carole Middleton and Prince Charles, and great-grandparents the Queen and Prince Philip.

So far, so normal. But also standing behind William, Kate and Prince George are the baby’s aunt and uncle, Pippa and James Middleton.

With their expensively tailored clothes, their presence in fashion photographer Mario Testino’s line-up at Sandringham House barely merited a comment.

In the few short years since their sister married the Duke of Cambridge, Pippa and James have become the ‘nearly royals’ of the Royal Family

In the few short years since their sister married the Duke of Cambridge, Pippa and James have become the ‘nearly royals’ of the Royal Family

Yet in the few short years since their sister married the Duke of Cambridge, Pippa and James have become the ‘nearly royals’ of the Royal Family.

Seemingly as ubiquitous as showbiz family the Kardashians, they have floated up the social stream to be at the top of every society guest list and on every PR’s wish-list to promote their product. 

Surely it can only have been coincidence that on the day Mr Testino’s glossy photos of last Sunday’s christening were issued, James and Pippa were to be found in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, the hottest of hot tickets of the summer season.

But it is a pattern that is beginning to trouble courtiers.

Why should these two young people, who have made no significant contribution to public life, be granted such a royal honour?

Beyond the immediate Royal Family, hospitality at the headquarters of the All England Club during Wimbledon fortnight is usually reserved for people who have, in one way or another, contributed to national life. Take women’s semi-finals day, when the Middleton siblings were there.

Surely it can only have been coincidence that on the day Mr Testino’s glossy photos of last Sunday’s christening were issued, James and Pippa were to be found in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, the hottest of hot tickets of the summer season

Surely it can only have been coincidence that on the day Mr Testino’s glossy photos of last Sunday’s christening were issued, James and Pippa were to be found in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, the hottest of hot tickets of the summer season

Meet your match like Pippa in a monochrome look by Carolina Herrera

Pippa Middleton has well and truly perfected her courtside style.

We often say that she swaps style notes with her sister, but just a day after the Duchess of Cambridge wore a red L.K. Bennett dress to cheer Andy Murray to victory at Wimbledon, Pippa went in a very different direction for her visit this morning!

She sported a printed top and a pair of matching trousers, which she teamed with wedge heels and a white clutch bag. No tennis whites or tea dresses here!

Both pieces are by one of Pippa's favorite designer labels, Carolina Herrera and we have to say we love the look. The peplum top is super flattering and the bold print ensured she stood out from the crowd.

This Herrera outfit hails from the Fall/Winter 2015 collection, so isn't yet available to buy yet, but click (right) to take a closer look. The monochrome print is a running theme throughout the line, so perhaps we'll see Pippa wearing a dress version next!

Alternatively, Reiss' coordinating top and trousers are an ace way to replicate Pippa's look, or team one of the printed peplum tops we've found for you with black tailored trousers to tone things down a bit.

* PRICES MAY NOT BE AS ADVERTISED

Among the famous faces in the Royal Box were David Beckham, a truly global figure who helped to secure London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics, John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Culture Secretary, John Whittingdale.

Also there were the garlanded Olympic yachtsman Sir Ben Ainslie, and actor and comedian Stephen Fry, who, love him or loathe him, has brought enjoyment to millions with his TV shows, films and books.

Another significant figure was the Queen’s private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt, a distinguished former Army Intelligence Corps officer whose CV bristles with derring-do in the former Yugoslavia.

Little wonder, then, that eyebrows were raised when the royal-for-a-day Middleton siblings took their seats.

For their invitations seemed to owe nothing to their personal achievements and everything to their position as brother and sister-in-law to the future king — which is a very different thing from being a genuine royal.

Beyond the immediate Royal Family, hospitality at the HQ of the All England Club during Wimbledon fortnight is usually reserved for people who have contributed to national life. Take women’s semi-finals day, when the Middleton siblings were there. Among the famous faces in the Royal Box were David Beckham, a truly global figure who helped to secure London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics

Beyond the immediate Royal Family, hospitality at the HQ of the All England Club during Wimbledon fortnight is usually reserved for people who have contributed to national life. Take women’s semi-finals day, when the Middleton siblings were there. Among the famous faces in the Royal Box were David Beckham, a truly global figure who helped to secure London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics

There is, I can report, a degree of concern about the way the pair are being showered with such good fortune.

‘It used to be the case that an invitation to the Royal Box on Wimbledon Centre Court suggested a status similar to those who make it onto the Honours List — a special reward for doing something for the greater good,’ says a long-standing Buckingham Palace figure.

Beyond writing her widely mocked book on entertaining, and penning the occasional magazine article, Pippa seems to do precious little.

Cake-maker James, meanwhile, displayed an uncanny ability to miss the boom in baking inspired by TV’s The Great British Bake Off by having two of his cake firms struck off the register at Companies House, and remains very much anentrepreneur-in-waiting.

To be fair, all the Middletons have to walk a tricky tightrope. They have been welcomed into the royal world in a way quite unlike any previous families whose children have married into the House of Windsor.

Pippa and James Middleton's Wimbledon invitations seemed to owe nothing to their personal achievements and everything to their position as brother and sister-in-law to the future king — which is a very different thing from being a genuine royal. Above, William, Kate, George and baby Charlotte (arriving for her christening)

Pippa and James Middleton's Wimbledon invitations seemed to owe nothing to their personal achievements and everything to their position as brother and sister-in-law to the future king — which is a very different thing from being a genuine royal. Above, William, Kate, George and baby Charlotte (arriving for her christening)

In the past, such families were wont to be described not as ‘in-laws’ but mischievously as ‘outlaws’, such was the distance the royals put between them and people they considered arrivistes.

But from the very beginning, Mike and Carole Middleton have been treated differently — a policy dictated, significantly, by Prince William. At times it is almost as if William is married not just to Kate but to the entire Middleton clan.

Certainly he never tires of telling his blood family that he views the Middletons, and that includes Pippa and James, as part of his family ‘unit’.

It was this guiding principle that lay behind Sunday’s christening photograph. How different it was from those taken at previous royal christenings.

When William was christened at Buckingham Palace in 1982, the formal pictures showed the baby prince with his father and mother and six godparents. Princess Diana’s brother and two sisters were nowhere to be seen.

Prince Harry’s christening two years later was more of a family affair, but largely because his uncle Prince Andrew was one of his godfathers.

To be fair, all the Middletons have to walk a tricky tightrope. They have been welcomed into the royal world in a way quite unlike any previous families whose children have married into the House of Windsor. Above, Pippa and James in the royal box during the Coronation Festival Evening Gala at Buckingham Palace

To be fair, all the Middletons have to walk a tricky tightrope. They have been welcomed into the royal world in a way quite unlike any previous families whose children have married into the House of Windsor. Above, Pippa and James in the royal box during the Coronation Festival Evening Gala at Buckingham Palace

From the very beginning, Mike and Carole Middleton have been treated differently — a policy dictated, significantly, by Prince William. At times it is almost as if William is married not just to Kate but to the entire Middleton clan

From the very beginning, Mike and Carole Middleton have been treated differently — a policy dictated, significantly, by Prince William. At times it is almost as if William is married not just to Kate but to the entire Middleton clan

Fast forward to the christening of the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, in 2004. Again the formal portraits included the child’s parents, Edward and Sophie, and their four parents, plus Louise’s five godparents.

So what has changed and how has royal tradition come to be altered so significantly?

The answer lies with the attitude of William, which was reinforced by the premature demise of his mother in 1997. Diana’s death quite naturally brought a closeness between William and Harry that has lasted, uniquely, into adulthood.

Other generations of royal children have not been quite so close in their post-school years.

For example, Charles has been exasperated at times by the behaviour of both Andrew (as a result of his ill-judged friendships) and Edward (because of his unwise commercial activities).

Meanwhile, his sister Anne has often been envied for commanding the unswerving support of their father, Prince Philip, who has at times been so critical of Charles.

Friends say Mr and Mrs Middleton do worry about the public perceptions of James and Pippa, neither of whom shows any sign of settling down

Friends say Mr and Mrs Middleton do worry about the public perceptions of James and Pippa, neither of whom shows any sign of settling down

William and Harry, however, retain an extraordinarily deep bond — and it is through this prism that William views his in-laws.

With the Middletons, he found a family who were immensely attached to each other — Kate has the kind of unshakeable relationship with her brother and sister that William enjoys with Harry.

So for the christening of Prince George, it seemed natural for William to include Harry, Pippa and James in the family portraits — and to hell with protocol and those courtiers who grumble about them overstepping their mark.

With Harry in Africa and unable to attend Charlotte’s big day, he had the opportunity to exclude Kate’s brother and sister from the line-up. But he chose not to.

The result lent a somewhat disjointed look to the official photographs, which appeared to place Carole Middleton centre stage, in the very spot to which the eye is drawn — far more prominent, many might feel, than the Queen herself.

It also meant that Prince Philip was pushed to the margin. Indeed, dropping Pippa and James from the official shot would have allowed the Duke of Edinburgh to take his rightful place directly behind the Queen.

Of course, these are tricky affairs to choreograph and the placement will have been the cameraman’s. All the same, Mrs Middleton will have felt awkward at being placed centre stage. Her hat was deliberately smaller than those worn by the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall, which clearly represented an attempt to minimise her role.

But, setting aside her own place in the celebrations, perhaps she would have been wise to devote more attention to the position of her two younger children. For their presence might become a growing problem.

Like a modern-day Mrs Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice, she has one daughter who has married well — but there remain an unmarried son and daughter.

Friends say Mr and Mrs Middleton do worry about the public perceptions of James and Pippa, neither of whom shows any sign of settling down.

They are independent young people but in danger of being seen to milk the spotlight. And that risks reflecting badly not just on the Middletons but also on the Royal Family.

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now