The Pippa problem

Kate’s little sister is devastated at being told to butt out of official celebrations during the Queen’s Jubilee year.

While Pippa Middleton and her perky rear may have stolen much of the bride’s thunder at last year’s royal wedding, there is no chance she’ll overshadow the Queen during Her Majesty’s upcoming Diamond Jubilee celebrations. That’s because the Duchess of Cambridge’s little sister has been informed her presence will not be required by Buckingham Palace, leaving the 28-year-old wondering what she’s done to be so cruelly ejected from the royal inner circle.

Word from the palace is that while the Queen is besotted with her granddaughter-in-law, Kate, she finds Pippa “pushy and attention seeking”. “The last thing they want is Pippa flashing her famous derriere or wearing an eye-catching outfit on a day when all cameras should be pointing at the Queen,” a royal insider tells Woman’s Day. “So she is quietly being asked to stay out of the limelight.”

Rather than cause a ruckus in the tight Middleton clan, the Queen decided it would be best if Kate was the one to tell Pippa she’s not welcome at the celebrations, which will peak in May and June. Our source says, “Kate had been pushing for Pippa to play a role in some of the more high-profile Diamond Jubilee events, but during one of her regular briefings by palace officials, she was informed that her sister would not be required.

“Kate is too timid to speak up for Pippa and just accepts what she is told. She would normally look to William for advice or to intervene, but he’s away in the Falklands. “So far, Kate has a great relationship with her grandmother-in-law and wants it to remain so. She is well aware that the Queen is not someone you want to get on the wrong side of.” Friends of Pippa say the party planner is “sad and disappointed” that the “stuffed shirts at Clarence House” don’t want her to be part of the Jubilee celebrations.