Unlike older sister Kate Middleton (sorry, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge), who prefers not to speak publicly, Pippa Middleton isn't too shy to speak in front of a bunch of strangers. In fact, she enjoys it so much she's decided to utilise her talents professionally, making her debut on the after-dinner speaking circuit at the Women in Advertising and Communications in London (WACL) dinner last night. She launched into her new role with a few laughs, making a joke about the bridesmaid's dress she wore to older sister Kate and husband Prince William's nuptials in 2011.
You'll know it as the dress which launched a few hundred thousand jaws to drop because that's how ace Pippa's bum looked in it. Speaking about hers and her bum's reputation and post-wedding fame, Pippa said, ‘As I have found out, recognition has its upside, its downside and – you may say – its backside.’
Speaking at the £132-a-ticket dinner at London’s swanky Savoy Hotel, she said of the Alexander McQueen dress that she was just ‘glad it fitted’, adding, The Mirror reports, ‘In retrospect it fitted a little too well.’
Pippa also spoke about how the poor sales (18,000) of her party-planning book, Celebrate, were ‘difficult’ to deal with. But maybe she’s found her true calling with public speaking; one guest at the event said, ‘It was the first time she’s made a speech of this kind but you wouldn’t have known it, she was so relaxed. It was unbelievable how open she was – I don’t think anyone was expecting that.’
She didn't keep the audience entirely captivated, though, with one person tweeting, ‘Pippa Middleton, speaking openly and humourlessly at WACL tonight – Chatham House, but able to laugh about that dress.’
So, how did she get this gig? Well, she has been snapped up by PR firm Seven Dials, and she's not the first big name to speak at the WACL event – previous speakers have been the pretty lefty Ruby Wax, Danny Boyle and Ed Miliband. Are you trying to tell us something, Pippa?
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Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.