The Princess of Wales’s brother-in-law told a planning inquiry there is a need for a higher level of security at his property due to his family’s high public profile, in a row over part of their drive being designated a public footpath.
Kate’s sister Pippa married James Matthews, a hedge fund boss, in May 2017, and the family moved to Barton Court in West Berkshire in autumn 2022.
Mr Matthews installed an electric security gate on the drive in September 2022, which prompted walking group West Berkshire Ramblers to apply for a “definitive map modification order” in January 2023 to recognise a public footpath on the land.
West Berkshire District Council investigated and decided that the order route was “reasonably alleged to exist as a public right of way based on evidence, legislation and case law”, inquiry documents said.
Mr Matthews objected and told the inquiry the route is rarely used and the gate raised no objections from the local parish council or neighbours.
Speaking at the inquiry on Thursday, Mr Matthews added there was nothing in the conveyancing process which alerted him to any public use of the drive when he purchased the property in August 2022.