Princess Kate’s older sister, Pippa Middleton, has sparked fury in her community after she and her husband, James Matthews, closed a public footpath that runs through their lavish estate in a move that her neighbors say is putting them at serious risk.
Middleton, 42, and Matthews, 50, purchased their sprawling Grade I-listed mansion, which is known as Barton Court and sits on an extravagant 145-acre estate, for around $20 million in 2022. Soon after, they sealed the entrance to a footpath that runs across their land, no doubt in a bid to protect their privacy.
Electric gates were put in place weeks after they bought the 32-room dwelling and large “no trespassing” signs were added to warn away any walkers attempting to access the path.
Then, in 2024, Matthews submitted a highway declaration notice stating that the path, known as Mill Lane, was no longer accessible to the public, according to British outlet The Times.
But that move is now at the center of a furious controversy, after Britain’s largest walking charity, The Ramblers’ Association, teamed up with a group of community members to have the local council declare Mill Lane a public pathway.
While the council initially agreed with the villagers, Matthews is now challenging that decision and will go before a planning inspector in May to argue his case against the locals, who insist that there is no reason for a pathway that has been open to the public for more than 20 years.
But, The Ramblers’ Association says, the key issue at the heart of the debate is that of the safety of the locals who have been regularly using Mill Lane to travel between the areas surrounding Barton Court and the local village, Kintbury, where many residents attend church on Sundays.
Princess Kate’s older sister, Pippa Middleton, has sparked fury in her local community after she and her husband, James Matthews, closed a public footpath that runs through their lavish estate in a move that her neighbors say is putting them at serious risk. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Without the option of using the path, those locals are being forced to walk along a road that does not have a pedestrian sidewalk, thereby putting themselves at risk of being hit by passing traffic.
“We have accounts of people having unfettered public access in the Sixties and the use probably goes back generations with people from other villages walking to Kintbury,” Eugene Futcher, chairman of the West Berkshire Ramblers, told The Times.
“It is a safe way to get to and from the village, so walkers are put at risk if they have to use the road.”
He added that it is currently unclear to the local community why Matthews and Middleton objected to the continued public use of the path, noting: “Presumably they wanted to deter walkers from using the public footpath to keep their privacy.”
Many locals have also called attention to the fact that Barton Court’s former owner, fashion designer Sir Terence Conran, never made any objection to people using Mill Lane during the many years that he was living at the property.
“Sir Terence did nothing to discourage people from using the lane and kept the gate open. Feelings are running quite high in the village,” Futcher shared.
One local resident, Rob Brown, added to The Mail on Sunday that the closure of the path has made Middleton and Matthews very unpopular in the community, explaining: “I don’t think they give a damn about what anyone in the village thinks.
“They’re not very popular in the area. They think they’re a bit better than everyone else. They’re not even the proper Royal Family. Closing the path is a nuisance. Conran was better for the area.”
Some locals were more tolerant of the restrictions, with one anonymous resident telling the outlet: “I understand their need for privacy.”
Middleton and Matthews, who wed in 2017 and share three children, Arthur, 7, Grace, 5, and Rose, 3, have not yet issued a public statement about the decision.
However, the uproar over the move comes not long after Middleton’s sister, Princess Kate, and her husband, Prince William, sparked their own backlash after a “no-go zone” was put in place around their new mansion in nearby Windsor.
Middleton, 42, and Matthews, 50, purchased their sprawling Grade I-listed mansion, which is known as Barton Court and sits on an extravagant 145-acre estate, for around $20 million in 2022. (Google Maps)
Soon after, they sealed the entrance to a footpath that runs across their land, no doubt in a bid to protect their privacy. (Google Maps; Realtor.com)
The Prince and Princess of Wales relocated to the property, known as Forest Lodge, from their former residence, Adelaide Cottage, at the end of 2025—but weeks before the move, extensive security measures were put in place to protect the estate from prying eyes.
However, their desire to carve out a happy home for themselves and their children—Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7—caused some discontent among their fellow Windsor residents, who voiced upset over the impact the Wales’ relocation has had on one of their most beloved local amenities: Windsor Great Park.
In a bid to ramp up security around the family’s new abode, Forest Lodge, which is located in the park, a large “no-go zone” was created around the property—which spans a 2.3-mile perimeter and includes about 150 acres of land, according to The Times.
Fences were erected along part of this zone, while trespassers were warned they would be arrested if they venture inside the “exclusion area.”
The news came as a shock to Windsor residents, many of whom used part of the area for dog walking—and say they were given only a few days’ notice about the changes to public zoning, despite the fact that several of them pay around $150 a year to use a car park that is now closed.
Some agreed that ensuring the safety of the Wales family is “paramount,” but admitted that they can’t help but feel disappointed at their restricted access to an area that was once freely open to all.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing as my dog loves it here,” Tom Bunn, 32, who regularly walked his dog, Mr. Brown, near Forest Lodge, told The Sun.
“We come here every couple of weeks and we’re going to have to find somewhere else now for him to get the miles in. But I completely understand the safety of William, Kate and their family is paramount so we should make sure they can live happily here.”
Another woman added: “Many of us have been walking our dogs here for 20 years so to be told we can’t any more is a kick in the teeth. We pay annually towards the upkeep of a park but we are no longer going to be allowed to use part of it.
“They’ve only given us a few days’ notice to say this section of forest is closing for ever. Now I’ll need to get in my car to drive further afield to take my dog for a walk.”