Pippa Middleton
Pippa Middleton at Cheltenham with Tom Kingston (Reuters)

Pippa Middleton appeared to be having a fantastic time at the Cheltenham Festival where she was accompanied by two unidentified companions and close friend Tom Kingston.

The sister of the Duchess of Cambridge wore a mustard Katherine Hooker London coat and a brown fur Cossack hat to the annual horse racing event in Gloucestershire.

Her coat retails at just over £800 and it is not known if the Russian-style hat was real fur or fake.

Pippa Middleton
Pippa seemed to be having a good time in a yellow coat and brown hat (Reuters)

She clapped and smiled while her friends read the festival leaflet. Banker Kingston was taking a keen interest in the horses, watching the races with binoculars.

Absent from the event was her new beau Nico Jackson, who Pippa has been dating for a few months.

The pair went public with their relationship while on a skiing holiday in a Swiss ski resort, where a member of the public spotted them indulging in an "aggressive" public display of affection in February.

Pippa Middleton
Kingston watched the races intently with long-time friend Pippa (Reuters)

Pippa and Jackson appear to enjoy taking skiing holidays, as the couple were spotted on the slopes of St Moritz in Switzerland earlier this week.

They both completed the 26-mile Engadin Ski Marathon - with Pippa finishing about ten minutes behind her boyfriend.

Party planner Pippa's first book Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends, has received poor reviews and disappointing sales.

Pippa Middleton
Pippa recently took a job as a columnist for Waitrose magazine (Reuters)

However, she recently scored a new job writing a column for Waitrose's monthly magazine.

Also attending the event was Pippa's distant relative Zara Phillips, who was enjoying her third day at the races.

The Olympic gold medallist was at the festival with her mother, Princess Anne, husband Mike Tindall and friend Clare Balding.

READ:
Cheltenham Festival 2013: Zara Phillips Displays High Fashion on Ladies Day [PHOTOS]