When it comes to the Princess of Wales's close bond with her sister, Pippa, it's their humour over royal protocol, open chats and Pippa's marriage to 'wealthy' James Matthews that has kept things 'balanced' over the years, a royal expert says.
Flashback to April 2011 and Pippa Middleton was one of the most talked about people at Kate Middleton and Prince William's wedding, with the big day thrusting her into the royal spotlight as her sister married into The Firm.
Since then, life has changed immensely for the sisters, with Catherine now the Princess of Wales and both of the women having become mothers to three children of their own.
Despite over a decade of being at the centre of The Firm, the Princess of Wales still has an 'extremely close' bond with her sister, with a royal expert claiming that Pippa's marriage and laughter between the siblings have helped a balance remain in their dynamic.
Speaking to OK! last year, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond pointed out that it's likely Catherine and Pippa find humour in royal protocol when in private.
"They talk about everything and I very much doubt that Catherine expects her sister to stand on ceremony when they are together," Jennie explained, adding, "In public, of course, Pippa pays due respect to the future Queen, but I suspect they probably both find that sort of protocol quite funny."
And with the Prince and Princess of Wales now residing in Adelaide Cottage near Windsor to raise Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the sisters are close by to each other, with Pippa and husband James Matthews bringing up their children, Arthur, Grace and Rose, in a spacious home in Berkshire.
"The fact that she has married an extremely wealthy man, James Matthews means that the relationship between the two sisters has remained quite a balanced one," Jennie continued.
"Pippa and James have a riverside mansion in Berkshire, less than an hour’s drive from Windsor and half an hour from [Carole and Michael Middleton] in Bucklebury."
Pippa and businessman and hedge fund manager James tied the knot in 2017 at St. Mark's Church in Englefield in Berkshire, after James reportedly popped the question during a trip to the Lake District in 2016.
The couple welcomed their first child, Arthur, in October 2018, before becoming parents for the second time to daughter Grace in 2021. The family of four became a family of five in 2022, when their second daughter, Rose, arrived.
