A Look Back At The Prince Harry And Pippa Middleton Romance Rumors
In 2017, Pippa Middleton married James Matthews in a beautiful wedding. The following year, Prince Harry tied the knot with Meghan Markle in a ceremony of royally glamorous proportions. However, before then, there were rumors that Pippa (the sister of Catherine, Princess of Wales) and Harry were romantically linked. It seems the speculation began after Kate Middleton and William, Prince of Wales' wedding in 2011. After that big event, Judi James, a body language expert, said Harry and Pippa would make a good couple. "When they were walking down the aisle, they exchanged a series of looks like they were already an established couple. They are a perfect pairing," James told The Daily Star, even suggesting that Harry's girlfriend at the time, Chelsy Davy, should leave so the others could be together.
A few years later, in 2015 and 2016, OK! Magazine published multiple articles discussing Harry and Pippa's rumored relationship. One piece claimed Pippa and Harry were bonding over the birth of their niece, Princess Charlotte. A source for the outlet claimed, "They've always had such a unique bond and it's madness that they have never acted on their obvious attraction for each other." However, at the time of publication, Pippa was already in a relationship with Nico Jackson. Plus, the insider also said Kate wouldn't allow her sister and Harry to date, saying, "Years ago Kate pretty much told him Pip was off limits after she caught him admiring her."
Nevertheless, the same outlet published a piece discussing how Pippa and Harry supposedly got together anyway.
Harry got IPSO involved when rumors were published
Another insider for OK! Magazine said Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton were dating in secret and that their meet-cute had been William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales' wedding. "Sparks flew," the source told OK! They added that during the wedding reception, "Kate went to check her makeup and found them snoggin' in the bathroom!" (Or, as Americans would say, making out.) In the years following that rumored wedding day liaison, Pippa and Harry reportedly still liked each other a lot. Their relationship had apparently moved past just flirtation, with the insider adding, "They're trying to play it coy, but there's no doubt that this is developing into something serious. They're truly sweet together and, in fact, seem very much in love."
OK! continued discussing the rumored relationship, even stating that one reason Harry visited the Cross Keys Pub was because Pippa lived nearby. Other outlets were skeptical about the truthfulness of the OK! stories on Pippa and Harry. British publication The Daily Star wrote about them and got in trouble with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Harry formally complained about their 2015 article called "Harry and Pippa 'secret romance.'"
The Daily Star removed the article from their website per Harry's request and agreed not to write about his and Pippa's speculated relationship anymore, but they were also given a formal request to publish an adjudication from IPSO after they breached the rules.
The rumors do not seem based in truth
According to IPSO's website, Prince Harry insisted that the rumors about him and Pippa Middleton were absolutely not true. IPSO's committee determined The Daily Star broke the rules of the Editors' Code of Practice, specifically Clause 1 (Accuracy). The Daily Star had credited a U.S. magazine for providing the information on the rumored romance between Harry and Pippa, although IPSO didn't say which outlet. They added, "While it had not contained a positive assertion of their truth, there was no suggestion that there was reason to doubt their veracity."
IPSO also didn't feel that The Daily Star actually asked Clarence House for a comment like they claimed to have done in their article and continued, "The only conclusion which the Committee could draw was that the newspaper had not sought to verify the claims, as reported. ... The manner in which the claims were presented was significantly misleading."
Harry's work with IPSO is another example of his hateful relationship with the media. His vehement denial of the rumors about himself and Pippa makes it likely none of the gossip was based in truth. Royal expert Duncan Larcombe didn't believe the speculation — in a 2019 interview with Fabulous Digital from The Sun, he said Harry and Pippa never dated. However, he compared Pippa to Meghan Markle and said, "But it's quite funny to think that Harry is now married to somebody who is quite similar in temperament, personality, and bubbliness to Pippa."