Pippa Middleton is a single woman, reports say. The 28-year-old sister of the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has split with her long-term boyfriend, cricket player turned financier Alex Loundon, after a series of fights in recent weeks.
“[Pippa] and Alex split briefly in the summer — but this time it’s over,” a source tells The Sun. “They are barely speaking.”
In the wake of the breakup, Middleton is said to have turned to her sister and Prince William for comfort last night. Middleton also apparently spent the weekend with the royal couple at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
It’s unclear exactly what caused the split after three years. Some friends claim Loudon was never comfortable with Middleton’s status as a sex symbol and tabloid fixation, following her headline-making turn in a figure-hugging gown at her sister’s wedding in April. But a source tells The Sun that Prince Harry was at the crux of the couple’s demise. “It was said after the wedding that Alex was jealous of Pippa flirting with Prince Harry,” the source said. “But the truth is she and Harry are just mates.”
During Middleton and Loudon’s brief break this summer, Middleton was spotted out with her ex, George Percy, at a dinner in London and then at a Wimbledon tennis match. But the couple eventually reconnected and, last month, was photographed kissing outside the Boodles Boxing Ball at 4:30 a.m.while waiting for a taxi.
Just a few weeks ago, reports said that Loudon had asked a friend to help him shop for an engagement ring and had his eye on a blingy Diane von Furstenberg sparkler for Middleton. A source told The Sun at the time, “Alex knows that if he doesn’t ask her soon he might lose her. He’s an ideal choice for Pippa.”