Pippa Middleton And Her Husband Have A Scandalous Age Gap

It's pretty well known that Kate Middleton and Prince William are the same age, but some may be surprised that the Princess of Wales' younger sister is in something of an age gap romance with her husband, James Matthews. Okay, so it's not that scandalous a gap, mind (she's not Karoline Leavitt, after all) — but even so, Pippa Middleton is eight years her husband's junior.

According to Us Weekly, Pippa and Matthews met for the first time back in 2007. At the time, she would have been 23 or 24, and he 31 or 32. Of course, they weren't a couple yet. In fact, they were only spotted holding hands for the first time in October 2012, when Pippa was 29 and Matthews 37. It's not clear how long they stayed together after that date (or if they were an official item at all, because, as many a Middleton family fan will know, Pippa dated Nico Jackson for several years before reuniting with her now husband. 

By the time Pippa and Matthews wed in May 2017, the bride was 33 while her groom was 41. In the time since then, they've welcomed one son and three daughters. They also lead a very lavish life, with a 150-acre estate and another farm nearby, which they've turned into a venue with indoor and outdoor play areas, deer feeding, a yoga studio, and a cafe. It's safe to say, things have worked out super well for the lovebirds. 

It's pretty clear a nearly 10-year age gap hasn't stood in the way of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews' relationship — and it's possible their shared interests have played a role in that. 

Both Pippa and Matthews are keen athletes, and even during their "off" period, they still tackled the Race Across America together in 2015. The same year, they also competed side-by-side in the Otillo Swimrun World Championship. More than just competing together, Pippa and her brother James Middleton also competed specifically to raise money for the foundation her now-husband had set up in his own brother's honor. In case you're not familiar, Matthews' brother died in a tragedy on Mount Everest in 1999, and the foundation was established to assist children in rural Tanzania in Michael's name. 

Several years on from Pippa and Matthews' swimrun, the couple were back on and engaged, and she and her brother did another sporting event for the Michael Matthews Foundation. This time, the siblings summited the Matterhorn in Switzerland. At the time, Pippa wrote a blog sharing why her fiance hadn't tagged along. "Mountain climbing ... has disturbing memories and understandably James kept his feet firmly on the ground, whilst giving us his complete support," she said (via People). Pippa and Matthews may have a sizable age gap, but it's fairly evident both of them love their families and getting active for a good cause (or even supporting from the sidelines). Talk about a perfect match!