June 12, 2011: How does “Duchess Pippa” sound? That may be what Pippa Middleton is asking herself right now as she eases back into life with her former college flame George Percy, 26, heir apparent Duke of Northumberland. The London Daily Times is telling us that Pippa has split from the banker, Alex Loudon, who accompanied her to the royal wedding. Now she is back with George Percy, and this time it was an apparently romantic evening date -- not just afternoon tennis.
The hugging arms of a Duke
Prince Harry's well reported words "Not for a long time" -- when asked about marriage -- may have sent Pippa into into the arms of ‘the Duke’ whose honorary title is "Earl" The Express reports that she was spotted on a date with Percy that involved so much hugging it prompted the paper to wonder if Pippa has something to tell us.
If the two become an item it will come as no surprise. First it was that week in Spain with Percy. Then we learned that Pippa has signed on as a lobbyist for the geothermal energy company that Percy runs. It seems the company made a deal with a French cement giant to test if hot water stored underground can be turned into heat and electricity.
A hot romance may be brewing
On Thursday I reported their appearance together at a tennis match. Now today the Express says:
After dining together at Chelsea’s trendy Le Cercle restaurant, the couple spent two hours at George’s London flat before bidding farewell. . .
An onlooker said: “They seemed very close. They embraced for a long time before Pippa left in a taxi…”
How reliable is this information from the Express?
Given the build-up and return to George Percy, this story seems quite plausible. However, in view of the fact this story was also reported with much juicier details by the Daily Star, one of the least reliable of the London papers, it seemed prudent to take a “wait and see” attitude.
Then it appeared in the The London Times which is considered a top reliable source along with BBC News, The Guardian, The Observer and The Telegraph.
The very rich Percy family has its appeal
The Percy family lives at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, the setting for some of the Harry Potter films. The current Duke, is George's father, Ralph, who is on the British Rich List with a £315million fortune.
As Harry talks military life (see my related articles) she may now be setting her sights on a man that will rival her sister’s Prince William, whose salary is not even close to the money in the Percy family.
Given the competitiveness between Kate and Pippa, if she can make a romantic match with Percy, she will become a very rich woman and a Duchess as well! But more importantly, Pippa and George have both history and a working relationship in common.
Copyright 2011 Rita Watson/ All Rights Reserved
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