Pippa Middleton's Most Controversial Moments

It's safe to say that members of the royal family, and pretty much anyone associated with them, have a pretty intense spotlight on them at all times. That's certainly the case for Pippa Middleton, sister of Catherine, Princess of Wales. Since shooting into the public eye when her sister began romancing the future king of England, Pippa hasn't exactly been able to live a super low-key, under-the-radar life. But her appearances in the tabloids haven't always been for all the right reasons.

Just like the Middletons' controversial uncle, Gary Goldsmith, Pippa has had her own share of dramas over the years, ranging from being snapped in a car with a gun-wielding confidant to having skin-flashing personal vacation photos leaked around the world. Not to mention that whole supposed drama involving Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and if Pippa really wanted her at herwedding (more to come on all that). Though Pippa's life may be a little quieter today, we're taking a look back at some of her most controversial moments over the years that the royals would probably rather forget.

Flashback to 2012 when Pippa Middleton found herself in the middle of a gun scandal. This drama went down when paparazzi snapped photos of Catherine, Princess of Wales' sister in a car with friends in Paris, France, showing one man in the vehicle pointing a gun at the photographers. Had the gun been real, the man pointing it could have faced up to seven years behind bars. Pippa (and anyone else in the car) could also have been charged if it was found they were involved.

The gun photo was quite the tabloid scandal, but it turns out the weapon was in fact fake and no charges were ever filed. One of the paparazzi even downplayed the drama while speaking to French outlet Gala. "When the driver took out the plastic gun, it was for a laugh, to have fun, it was done in a friendly way," the unnamed paparazzi told the outlet (via The Hollywood Reporter). "When the car parked, I touched the plastic gun that the driver showed me. You can find it in any toy store." 

Pippa's friend, Arthur de Soultrait, who was also in the car, issued a statement to Us Weekly apologizing for the incident. "Obviously [Pippa] had no idea that he was going to do that and told him to stop immediately. She did not find it funny," he said. Fake or not, being photographed near a gun isn't exactly befitting someone who is royal adjacent.

Another drama Pippa Middleton found herself caught up in came in 2015 when she spoke about eating whale meat during a trip to Norway. Pippa wrote about her exotic food choices in a column for the Daily Telegraph, describing the taste as being "similar to smoked salmon." She also touched on how the dish looked, comparing it to venison (via Express). But it's safe to say she ruffled some feathers with her dining choice.

Vanessa Williams-Grey, a campaigner for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Group, slammed Pippa while speaking to Express, noting that in the U.K., commercial whale hunting is illegal. "Killing whales is cruel, there is no humane way to kill them and many are slaughtered using brutal harpoon grenades." Williams-Grey then suggested Pippa should have gone on a whale-watching trip instead of eating the animals. "She may then have thought twice about condoning and indeed, promoting, this cruel and unnecessary trade," she said.

But the campaigner wasn't the only one who publicly slammed Pippa. PETA also spoke out against Kate Middleton's younger sister, issuing a lengthy statement to E! News. "It still beggars belief that anyone, let alone someone from a country like ours, where whale meat has long been banned, could be oblivious to the uproar over Norway's slaughter of these gentle giants," it read in part, also touching on how brutally the whale may have been killed.

Though Pippa Middleton and her husband, James Matthews, may be known and loved the world over, they didn't exactly make a friend of their neighbor when it came to extending the multi-million dollar farm park they own in the U.K. This drama came about after the couple decided they wanted the property to have a barn for kids to play in, a café, and a small store with a covered seated area outside. However, according to Mail Online, the two didn't include the details of the outdoor seating area when applying for planning permission application for the farm, which seriously upset one neighbor. The unnamed person complained about the couple's plan, as they claimed creating the seating area would have meant moving a nearby footpath to an area that regularly got flooded.

But it was good news for Pippa and Matthews — despite objection from at least one local person. After a year of back and forth over the issue, the couple had their controversial planning permission granted, which meant they were able to go ahead with the build.

You may remember that Kate Middleton went to court in 2017 after photos of her sunbathing topless were published without her permission — but she's not the only Middleton to have a risqué photo scandal. Pippa Middleton also saw the dark side of fame in 2011 when photos of her topless and posing in a bikini surfaced online.

The image showed William, Prince of Wales' sister-in-law in various stages of undress. The personal snaps were reportedly taken when Pippa, Kate, and William took a vacation to the Spanish island of Ibiza together in 2006 and some showed them having fun on a boat. In at least one of the photos, one of which was published by Page Six, Pippa was seen dancing with a mystery man while wearing a bra and a skirt, but in another, she'd taken off her bikini top. Thankfully for the Middletons and the royal family, that personal snap seems to have been scrubbed from the internet and the photo agency who bought the rights to the snaps has since blocked them from being sold.

Another royal who's had her fair share of controversial moments is Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. Several years ago, these two royal figures found themselves in the middle of some drama concerning Pippa Middleton's wedding. Though Meghan, who was dating Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, at the time, was present for some of the day when Pippa married James Matthews in 2017, it was claimed that Kate Middleton's sister didn't actually want her there. Royal experts Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed in the book "Finding Freedom" (via Us Weekly) that neither Pippa nor her mom, Carole Middleton, had planned to invite Meghan, but felt they had to so they didn't cause a family rift. "Both the bride and her mom, Carole, privately harbored concerns that the American actress's presence alongside [Prince] Harry might overshadow the main event," they wrote in the book.

Of course, as royal watchers will know, Meghan and Prince Harry did end up attending the big day, but many people speculated there may have been drama between the gang after Meghan was absent from the actual ceremony. Instead, only Harry was present at the church, with Meghan later attending the reception in the evening. According to "Finding Freedom," it was actually Markle's decision not to go to church, as the book claimed she pulled out of attending that part of the day at the last minute. But, even then, thanks to Pippa's somewhat odd wedding seating requirements, Meghan wasn't allowed to sit with Harry.

There's no doubt Pippa Middleton knows how to have fun and she certainly knew how to let off some steam in her younger days, but she may have attended a few more questionable parties in her time. Shortly before the gun scandal took hold, Pippa was spotted partying it up in France at a questionable gathering. Pippa reportedly partied until 5 a.m. alongside a man wearing a dog collar and someone else who attended dressed as a nearly naked nun. As for what Pippa wore? The Daily Mail shared snaps of Pippa in a short Renaissance-inspired dress with black leggings and gold heels. She was spotted leaving the event, which was a birthday party for her friend, Arthur de Soultrait, wearing a leather jacket.

Pippa herself spoke out about the perception of her enjoying a party or two in 2016, admitting she wasn't a fan of the controversial party girl reputation she received. "People see me as someone privileged who has used my position to advantage; that I don't really work, that I am a socialite — that word really irritates me — and that I'm a party girl without any substance," she told the Mail Online. It does appear that Pippa has now left her more controversial days behind her, transforming into a happy wife and mom of three living a quieter life in the U.K.