Princess Kate's sister Pippa Middleton comes under fire after brutal clash

Princess Kate's younger sister Pippa Middleton and her millionaire husband James Matthews landed in new trouble after their extraordinary clash with their neighbours.

The bitter row unexpectedly erupted between locals and Pippa over a path on their 145-acre estate at Barton Court.

The future British monarch's sister-in-law is being accused of using her royal connections and wealth to "punish" local residents.

It emerges after Pippa became embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute over a footpath running through the property she shares with her life partner.

They bought the 34-room Georgian mansion in 2022 for $20million and blocked access to the route shortly afterward, arguing continued public use created privacy and security concerns around the property.

The fight reached a planning inquiry in Kintbury, West Berkshire, this week, where tensions between residents and royal family's relatives spilled into public view.

Locals expressed their anger over the couple's move, with one claiming villagers increasingly believe Middleton's status and royal associations have emboldened the couple's stance.

The locals are said to be angry at the couple, accusing them of using their royal connections. Some residents feel this dispute perfectly captures what happens when extremely wealthy outsiders move into rural communities and begin reshaping them around their own priorities.

Locals believe this was a route the community had informally shared and used for generations without issue.

Villagers feel they are now being shut out of part of the countryside that had always felt accessible to ordinary people.

At the hearing, barrister Paul Wilmshurst, representing Matthews, argued the path had never been widely used by the public and did not serve any significant practical purpose.

He said: "It has certainly not been used by a significant number of people. It doesn't lead anywhere particularly useful."

An inspector overseeing proceedings reportedly reminded attendees issues relating to "privacy" could not formally determine whether the pathway qualified as a public right of way under planning law.

Sources familiar with the inquiry over the walkway said the disagreement has exposed growing hostility among some locals toward the couple's arrival in the area.

A £15million country estate in West Berkshire, previously owned by Sir Terence Conran, provided a dream family home for the couple and their three children.