OWN

By the looks of it, Pippa Middleton finally “caught” an eligible man who is “terribly rich” and “terribly into her.” The guy is James Matthews, and the rollout on this guy is very, very interesting and very telling. For the past five years or so, Pippa has dated men who don’t necessarily want to be seen with her, lest the press go over their lives with a fine-toothed comb. I thought Nico Jackson was the exception, but he high-tailed it to Switzerland more than a year ago, and their relationship fell apart after a long, drawn-out drama, one which involved Pippa spending the night at James Matthews’ home before the Nico split was announced. Word is, Pippa and James are moving pretty quickly. They’ve known each other for years and even dated briefly a few years ago, but sources claim they’re already living together. As I said, the rollout has been interesting. Over the weekend, the Daily Mail had a piece about James and his “toxic bachelor” brother – go here to read. The gist is that the Middletons are willing to overlook James’ reality star brother if it means marrying off Pippa. Further evidence that the Middletons approve? Carole Middleton chaperoned a dinner date between Pippa and James last week. Which led me to this amazing piece in the Daily Beast, all about how Carole is forever a Helicopter Mom. …It might seem rather odd that, like a Victorian chaperone, Pippa’s mum came along too. To Carole and Pippa, it probably seemed entirely normal. As James is no doubt finding out, you may think you are just dating one of the Middleton girls—actually, you are dating the whole damn clan. “The Middletons like to do things together; this is not a family to marry into if you don’t like party games,” says one acquaintance of the family, “Carole’s seal of approval is an important part of any relationship her children might be involved in.” It is not hard to see how the easy, comfortable closeness of the Middleton clan, dominated by Carole, must have seemed a far more attractive paradigm to the young Prince William than the brutal game of he-said she-said undertaken by Charles and Diana. William is said to jokingly call Kate and Pippa’s father Michael ‘dad’. Acquaintances say that growing up, Carole ruled the family with, if not a rod of iron, a clear sense of what was and was not acceptable. “They were always thought of as being incredibly boring,” says one acquaintance who knew the family when the children attended Marlborough school, who also suggests that Carole’s long had a reputation as something of a ‘helicopter mom’: “Carole always made sure they had the right books, and that their pencils were sharpened.” In a sign that the relationship may be moving on, Matthews, 40, has submitted plans for a first-floor extension to his London property, seeking to build a bathroom above the kitchen, with the blueprints showing a ‘vanity basin’ complete with his and hers sinks. Maybe he should think about adding a granny flat too. [From The Daily Beast] I understand the appeal of a close-knit family, I really do. And the Middletons’ closeness must feel so exotic to William after the toxic relationships within his own family. But the helicopter-mom act is just bizarre at this point, given that all of Carole’s children are over the age of 28. Kate still goes home to mummy whenever she can, and Carole moved in with Kate and William for months last year just to run the household. And the PR blitz around Pippa’s new boyfriend has the vibe of old-school Middleton PR shenanigans, and I suspect that Carole is trying to make sure that Pippa locks this one down. My point? The helicopter-mum routine has morphed into something that seems more controlling and Machiavellian. And dare I say? Kris Jenner-esque. Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet and PCN.