Pippa Middleton Interview: Oprah, Barbara Walters Fight for Scoop

(Reuters/Toby Melville)
The sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Pippa Middleton and former English cricketer, Alex Loudon, sit on Centre Court at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 29, 2011.

By Sami K. Martin , Christian Post Contributor

January 31, 2012|6:54 pm

An interview with Pippa Middleton, the sister of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, is being fought over by top U.S. talk show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters.

Pippa Middleton has become a celebrity in her own right but has remained relatively quiet, not granting interviews to anyone. Now, however, two heavyweights are battling to get the first interview. Oprah Winfrey has told her people to "pull out all the stops" to get that interview, while Barbara Walters has approved a six-figure deal.

Other talk show hosts interested include Matt Lauer, Ellen DeGeneres and hosts from CBS. One report states that bids of up to $500,000 are being offered to Middleton. The Daily Mail adds that she is currently writing a new book "about entertaining and how to throw the perfect party. It's not just about being the perfect hostess -- it will also include recipes and information about how to host different types of events."

Middleton is a professional party planner for her family's business, Table Talk, and often writes for the company's newsletter. She is expected to be promoting the book soon, hence the increased interest in gaining an exclusive interview. Proceeds from the first interview will be donated to a charity of her choosing.

She gained international celebrity status at sister Kate's wedding to Prince William and has since been hounded by the press. Earlier this month, with the help of several attorneys, Pippa issued a letter to press agencies telling them to give her space and respect her privacy.

Paul Silva, photo editor of The Daily Mail stated, "She goes to get a coffee or she goes back into her house and you get about 3 to 400 pictures on that a day. There's no need for it. There's no reason to use them. There's no justification for using them."

The Middleton sisters are not the first royal celebrities to have concerns about the press. Princess Diana repeatedly stated that she felt hunted by the paparazzi, and many believe they had a hand in the crash that killed Diana.