Pippa Middleton and her husband, hedge fund manager James Matthews, have won a legal battle to keep a footpath through their £15million Berkshire estate closed to the public. A government planning inspector ruled that there was insufficient evidence the path had been freely used by walkers for the 20 years required by law, overturning its designation as a public right of way and dismissing an appeal brought by local residents and The Ramblers' Association.

The path, known as Mill Lane, runs through the couple's Grade I-listed Barton Court estate and had long been used by residents of nearby Kintbury as a safer alternative to the narrow, busy Station Road. After buying the estate in 2022, the couple installed electric gates and "No Trespassing" signs, prompting accusations they were exploiting Middleton's royal connections to justify the closure. Inspector Ken Taylor rejected the couple's privacy and security arguments but ultimately sided with them on the legal technicality of insufficient historic use, disappointing the 35 residents who had backed the campaign to preserve the route.