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  "path": "/royal/pippa-middleton-locals-fume-billionaire-husband-james-matthews-barton-court",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-12T09:40:21.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Australia tour could be 'blueprint for return to UK,' insider says",
    "Queen continued 'fashion precedent' pioneered by a Tudor monarch",
    "Peter Phillips's fiancee's ex-father-in-law makes public plea amid family's first outing",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
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  "textContent": "\n\n\nLocal residents in the West Berkshire village of Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews's luxurious £15million estate have continued to vent their frustration after a countryside walking route was shut.\n\nThe row centres on Mill Lane, a pathway that villagers claim they have trailed on freely for generations to reach footpaths, the centre of Kintbury village, and St Mary's Church.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe 44-year-old hedge fund manager acquired the Barton Court estate, a Grade II-listed Georgian mansion spanning more than 100 acres along the River Kennet, in 2022.\n\nPippa, and their three children, Arthur, seven, Grace, five, and Rose, three, moved in shortly after.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAccess was swiftly restricted. The couple erected electric gates controlled by keypad, accompanied by signs declaring the route private property.\n\nSince then, residents in the surrounding area have been angered by the \"inconsiderate\" couple.\n\nOne furious local declared the pair \"not very popular,\" and another told the Daily Mail they believe they \"think they're a bit better than everyone else\".\n\n\"They’re not even the proper Royal Family,\" another local remarked.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe concreted track, known affectionately as \"The Avenue\" or \"Donkey Lane,\" runs through the family's 145-acre grounds.\n\nThe closure has sparked serious safety concerns among residents, who now face a treacherous alternative along Station Road.\n\nThe narrow country lane features blind bends, no pavement and heavy goods vehicles travelling at considerable speed.\n\nCharles Robins, a 72-year-old neighbour, warned: \"I feel it will only be a matter of time before there's a serious or fatal accident involving a pedestrian.\"\n\n### LATEST ROYAL NEWS\n\n\n\n\n  * Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Australia tour could be 'blueprint for return to UK,' insider says\n  * Queen continued 'fashion precedent' pioneered by a Tudor monarch\n  * Peter Phillips's fiancee's ex-father-in-law makes public plea amid family's first outing\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe dispute has \"split\" the village, locals say, with some villagers more than happy for the footpath to remain shut.\n\n\"I am very happy for them to do what they want with their land,\" one resident told the paper. \"There are plenty of places to walk around here.\"\n\n\"If the owner feels generous, then they would let the villagers use it, but if they want to be strict, I can understand that,\" another added.\n\nWest Berkshire Ramblers, however, a group of 35 walking enthusiasts, successfully petitioned the council in 2024 to have the lane officially designated a public right of way.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nEugene Futcher, chairman of the group, told The Times: \"It is a safe way to get to and from the village, so walkers are put at risk if they have to use the road.\"\n\nThe Matthews family has contested this ruling through a London barrister, and both parties will present their cases at a public hearing scheduled for next month.\n\nThe controversy has attracted attention from The Ramblers charity, which views the situation as symptomatic of a nationwide problem.\n\nSophie Redmond, Programme Manager for Paths, noted that \"thousands of miles of local paths are missing, blocked or unusable\" across Britain.\n\nGB News has approached the Barton Court Estate for comment.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Locals continue to fume at 'inconsiderate' Pippa Middleton and billionaire husband after closure at village estate"
}