Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Insiders Expose Palace Hypocrisy Over Pippa Middleton's Gate Takeover

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to be 'infuriated' over what they see as a royal double standard after Pippa Middleton was allowed to keep high‑security electric gates at her £32 million Berkshire estate.

According to insiders in Montecito, the row over Pippa's gates broke into public view as Prince Harry continues his long-running and increasingly bitter fight over security arrangements for himself, Meghan and their two children when they travel to the UK.

Since stepping back as working royals in 2020 and relocating to California, the Sussexes have had their taxpayer-funded protection downgraded, a decision the Duke has repeatedly challenged in court and through formal appeals to the Home Office.

Pippa Middleton's Gates And The Prince Harry Security Row

Pippa Middleton, 42, and her husband, hedge fund manager James Matthews, 50, live with their three children at Barton Court, a 145‑acre estate in Berkshire valued at around $32 million.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle installed large electric security gates across a driveway that has become the focus of a dispute with local walkers seeking public access.

At a recent inquiry, Matthews argued the gates were necessary because of the family's ties to the highest level of the royal household. He cited their connection to the Prince and Princess of Wales as justification for heightened protection.

'There are implications for my family, due to their high public profile, which means there is a need for a higher level of security than would otherwise be the case if the circumstances were different,' he said.

He added that he had arranged for an electric security gate to be erected on the drive before the family moved in and told the inquiry that their fears had not lessened over time. 'Unfortunately there has been a continued need to enhance security,' he said, explaining that the gates were upgraded last summer and remain closed.

Locally, the dispute has played out as a familiar tug-of-war between countryside access and private property. Nationally, it has taken on a different charge because of who Pippa's brother‑in‑law is, and because of who is watching from afar in California.

'Double Standard' Claim Fuels Prince Harry Frustration

According to a source described as being based in Montecito, the Sussexes have no personal grievance with Pippa or Matthews securing their Berkshire home.

The anger, they claim, lies in the contrast between how that request has been treated and the reception given to Prince Harry's continuing efforts to secure what he believes is adequate protection when in Britain.

'Harry and Meghan have no issue with Pippa and James being allowed to have this gate – if they feel they need protection, they should have it,' the source said. 'What infuriates Meghan and Harry is the double standard.'

From Harry's perspective, as relayed by the same insider, the public and institutional reactions to his requests have been markedly different. 'He has been treated as though he's totally out of bounds and shouldn't dare ask for so‑called special treatment,' the source claimed. 'Yet, the palace reaction to Pippa and James seemingly asking for special treatment has been the opposite. No one is raising a fuss about them taking advantage.'

Nothing in these Montecito claims has been independently confirmed, and they should be treated with caution. They do, however, map directly onto the grievances Harry has put on the record about his security position, even if he has not spoken publicly about Pippa's case.

In May 2025, Harry lost his legal challenge against the British government over the level of police protection provided to him and his family during visits to the UK. The court ruling was a significant setback in his attempt to reverse the downgrade that followed his decision to step back from royal duties five years earlier.

He has since asked the Home Secretary to review how the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as RAVEC, reached its decision. That process is still unresolved, leaving the Duke's status in a kind of limbo every time he crosses the Atlantic.

Palace Distance From Prince Harry Security Saga

The issue has been one of the most sensitive and personal elements of Harry's falling‑out with the British establishment. He has argued that reduced security leaves his family exposed when they set foot on British soil.

While he has flown back to the UK several times alone, notably for funerals and legal proceedings, Meghan and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have not visited the UK since 2022.

Behind the scenes, Harry has at times implied that King Charles III could intervene, or at least lean on the machinery that governs royal protection. Buckingham Palace has pushed back firmly on that idea.

Officials have repeatedly stressed that decisions on security sit with RAVEC and the courts, not with the monarch or his private office.

The palace has not commented on the reported anger inside the Sussex camp about Pippa Middleton's electric gates, nor has it given any indication it sees a link between a private planning spat in Berkshire and a formal, high‑stakes dispute over state‑funded protection.

The silence, in its own way, underlines the gap between how Prince Harry views the system and how the system now chooses to view him.