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Pippa Middleton, now world-famous sexy singleton!
It's been ten days since the royal wedding and the spotlight has now shifted to the newlywed Duchess of Cambridge's maid of honour and sister.
In 2008, Tatler Magazine named her Number One Society Singleton in the UK, beating out the likes of Princess Eugenie and musician James Blunt.
And today, that title likely holds throughout the world for Pippa Middleton.
While newlyweds Prince William and Kate Middleton have retired from the prying eyes of public life for awhile, the focus is now on the beautiful maid of honour, who showed off her beauty and social grace to an estimated three billion-strong audience a Friday ago.
Printed and online publications across the globe are running endless stories on her boosted celebrity profile, her sense of style, her party-girl past, her climb up Britain's social calendar and her public image; glamour magazines everywhere are hankering to have her pose for their covers and grant interviews and high-end designers are keen to have her seen in their creations.
So for those of you who want to get more acquainted with Pippa Middleton, we bring you everything you'd like to know in the following pages.
The outgoing Middleton middling
Pippa's real name is Philippa Charlotte Middleton and she's younger to Kate by a year, born on September 6, 1983 (the two also have a younger brother, James William Middleton).
Family members call her 'Pip' and just like her nickame, she is known to be more spritely, outgoing and vivacious than her sophisticated and rather demure older sister. So it's hardly surprising that she was moving around in royal circles with the cream of society well before Kate's connect with Wills was established!
After completing her schooling, Pippa pursued higher education in Scotland, attending the University of Edinburgh where she studied English literature. During her tenure there, she was sharing accomodations with the sons of the Dukes of Roxburghe and Northumberland and dated well-groomed young men from distinguished, moneyed families.
Part of the swish set
With her swish set of university friends, the brunette beauty worked the party circuit, took posh holidays and led a glamorous life, as is evident from photographs of her that continue to surface in the media.
Upon her graduation, Pippa put her love of partying and networking with the who's who of society to good use, joining her parents' party favours business, one the Middletons built up from a humble at-home venture to a multi-million pound organisation.
Toward this end, she set up an online magazine to promote her parents' business and fulfill her journalistic leanings; she also took up a job with an events and party management agency.
Along with Prince Harry, Pippa was also in charge of Wills and Kate's Buckingham wedding reception and even reportedly locked horns with palace aides in her bid to glitz up the party with a nightclub set-up, disco balls et al!
Capable, outgoing and always in-charge, it's not surprising that Kate calls her glamorous younger sister her 'best friend' and relied on her to share much of the wedding pressure and preparations.
High profile but lowkey -- up until now
Despite her love of the good things in life and a high-flying social profile, Pippa played a side role in the media limelight as it shone unflinchingly on the future Duchess of Cambridge all these years.
While she was pictured on holiday with William and Kate and attending dos along with the princes and their royal cousins, she remained as much of an enigma as the royals themselves -- smiling but aloof, with very little insight into her life and personality.
The Daily Mail has reported that she often gave various prestigious publications appointments for photoshoots and interviews but always cancelled at the last minute, probably reining in her love of celebrity so that her sister's relationship would in no way be compromised -- the Royal Family is known to guard their private lives fiercely to the best of their ability and personal media interactions among those connected to them are strongly discouraged.
But with Kate now married off and her status as an international icon cemented, one can't help but wonder whether her vibrant younger sister, who seems to be basking in all the attention showered upon her, will be content to watch from the sidelines.
The price of fame
These last few days have already seen a frenzy of Pippa-related stories in the press, some to her advantage and some not.
The news broke today that she is all set to cash in on the publicity generated from her role at the Royal Wedding with her own party-planning business, which is sure to be a wild success.
But unfortunately, the enterprising younger Middleton sister is also finding out that fame has its price -- personal pictures of her sunbathing topless on a family holiday and dancing provocatively with a male friend, dressed in only a bra and skirt have also been making headlines over the weekend.
Hot on the heels of the photographs, a US-based adult entertainment company was quick to cash in on the hype, making her an offer to star in a pornographic clip for 5 million dollars -- hardly a flattering proposition and one sure to embarrass both Pippa and the Royal Family no end.
Her Royal Hotness
Many are of the opinion that Pippa's high-profile connections since the wedding leave her in a most enviable position -- she's being treated like a princess without actually being one.
That means, in other words, that she gets to enjoy all the trappings without the responsibilities that go with them. But while Kate will be spared scrutiny that is in bad taste, by virtue of her new title and royal standing, the same doesn't hold true for her sister.
It hasn't escaped anyone's notice that Pippa's looks are in the same league as the Duchess and the press has already dubbed Miss Middleton 'Her Royal Hotness', praising her athletic figure to high heaven. Some less refined elements, however, have created a Facebook page and even a website dedicated to her derierre, crudely christened pippasass.com
The shifting focus
Pippa was spared such too-close-for-comfort admiration in the build-up to the Royal Wedding. Until it was all over, Kate and William were at the centre of the media storm, unable to make a move without the world getting to know about it. Everyone was hot on their heels for the one secret they managed to keep -- the bridal gown.
In recent weeks, however, Pippa's style choices and fashion sense have been generating nearly as much interest as Kate's, with each outfit she wears closely scrutinised and critiqued.
Things escalated to a whole new level, however, with that dress.
The dress that sealed the deal
When Kate finally displayed her Alexander McQueen creation to the world, everyone's expectations were met and we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over designer Sarah Burton's talent with satisfaction.
Indeed, the royal bride looked beautiful. But Burton was probably unprepared for the barrage of praise she received for the bridesmaid's outfit -- Pippa's figure-hugging ivory gown was elevated to as much prominence as Kate's.
Everyone took notice of the radiant maid of honour -- even rumoured ladies' man Prince Harry was caught admiring Pippa's feminine charms. Ever since the wedding, opinions as to who is the more attractive of the sisters are flying fast and furious, but while Kate has retired with her prince to Anglesey, away from prying eyes, Pippa continues to ride the wave of hype.
Is she spoken for?
What piece of Pippa Middleton news will come our way next?
There's really no saying.
But one thing's for sure -- while she may have been looking to become part of the swish set in her early years, the cream of society is now looking to become part of hers.
Maybe her new boyfriend Alex Loudon should be worried. Loudon is a handsome businessman, he studied at the prestigious Eton College, he comes from a wealthy background and is a former English cricketer to boot. He was Pippa's official escort to the Royal Wedding, but ever since it took place, her fame has soared to dizzying new heights.
Will he be escorting the world's most eligible bachelorette down the aisle too? One can't help but ponder whether Her Royal Hotness will settle for anyone less than a prince.