Pippa Middleton & James Matthews sold their money-pit ‘petting zoo’

Years ago, I wondered if Carole and Michael Middleton were ever embarrassed by the fact that none of their three children had the “hustler gene,” the ability to start and grow a successful business and become financially independent. Then Carole and Mike’s debt-ridden Party Pieces collapsed into insolvency in 2023 and it all made sense. None of the Middletons can operate a successful business – all of their businesses are scams and grifts, propped up by insane amounts of debt and other people’s money. Speaking of, Pippa Middleton has spent years trying to operate a “petting zoo” adjacent to her Berkshire property. The petting zoo/camping site/event venue was always a financial disaster, and now Pippa and her terribly moderately wealthy husband have sold the whole sorry endeavor.

The Princess of Wales’s sister Pippa and her banker husband James Matthews have at last waved the white flag of surrender over their petting zoo, Bucklebury Farm.

I can reveal the couple have sold the £1.3million Berkshire property, which they bought in 2021 with a view to turning it into a thriving business and family attraction.

Instead, the 72-acre farm was hit by six-figure losses every year, resulting in a debt of £807,543 in 2025, as I reported last year. In a desperate attempt to plug the financial hole, the couple submitted plans to build a nursery for 25 children on the sprawling site. Those plans were criticised by the local highways authority, which argued the nursery would spark congestion issues.

The couple even wrote a desperate plea to the council, arguing the ‘diversification’ was ‘essential to securing the farm’s future, enabling it to remain open to the public and continue offering educational and recreational opportunities for the community’. The application, however, was refused.

Visitors also bemoaned online the hefty ticket prices at the zoo, which they claim had skyrocketed since 2021. One local called the venture a ‘snooty cash grab’, adding: ‘This was a childhood favourite growing up in Berkshire, but since the Middleton takeover it has become a place of snobbery and middle-class inclusivity.’

A representative for the couple confirmed they no longer have any ownership or involvement in the site.

[From The Daily Mail]

I wonder what TMW James Matthews thinks about sinking millions into these increasingly stupid schemes. Does it matter to him that they’re blowing through their money at such a steady clip, or does he think it’s just the price of getting into bed with this family? I seem to remember that TMW James was roped into investing in his brother-in-law’s dumb schemes too. Interestingly enough, though, TMW James Matthews and Prince William were not called upon to save Party Pieces. They both let that mess sink on its own and they sat back and allowed Carole and Mike to look like f–king grifters.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.