James Matthews (racing driver)

James Spencer Matthews (born 21 August 1975)[1][2] is a British former professional racing driver, hedge fund manager, and heir to the Scottish feudal title of Laird of Glen Affric. In 2017, he married Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

James Matthews
Matthews racing in 1995
Born
James Spencer Matthews

(1975-08-21) 21 August 1975
OccupationHedge fund manager, former professional racing driver
TitleJames Matthews of Glen Affric the younger
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 2017)​
Children1
RelativesSpencer Matthews (brother)
FamilyMiddleton (by marriage)

Early life and education

Matthews is the eldest son of David Matthews, the son of a coal miner[3] who made a fortune as a car dealer before going into the luxury hotel business.[4] James' father also owns the resort Eden Rock, St Barths and is also laird of a 10,000 acre Scottish estate, Glen Affric. James' mother is artist Jane Matthews (née Jane Spencer Parker), whose father was architect Robert Spencer 'Spenny' Parker. Jane Matthews was educated at London's Slade School of Art. James is the older brother of Spencer Matthews, an actor on the scripted reality TV show Made in Chelsea.[5][6][7]

The childhood of Matthews and his two brothers, Spencer and Michael, was split between Caunton Manor, the 18th-century manor house on his family's 30-acre estate in Nottinghamshire, and Eden Rock, St Barths, the family's luxury hotel on the French Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy. Another privately owned home enjoyed by his family is the "castle-like"[8] hunting lodge on their 10,000-acre Glen Affric Estate in Scotland. Matthews' brother, Michael, died in 1999 in a mountaineering accident on Mount Everest, hours after becoming the youngest Briton to conquer the peak.[9] Matthews and his brother Michael both boarded at Uppingham School, in Rutland, whereas Spencer boarded at Eton. James, however, skipped higher education to train as a securities trader at Spear, Leeds & Kellogg, now part of Goldman Sachs. In 1997 James Matthews moved to a finance house called Nordic Options Ltd, which de-merged from Spear, where he became a senior equity options trader.[10][11][12]

Career

Racing

As a racing driver he has competed in such series as the British Formula 3 Championship. He won a record number of 11 rounds on his way to the British Formula Renault Championship title in 1994 for Manor Motorsport. Dominating both home and abroad, he added to that by winning the Eurocup Formula Renault in the same year.[13]

City career

Matthews became a City of London trader in 1995 and in 2001 was co-founder of Eden Rock Capital Management (named after his father's Eden Rock hotel), of which he is now Chief Executive. By 2007 the firm was reported to be managing over £1 billion in assets, and in 2017 David Friedman estimated that Matthews was "a demi-billionaire or close to a billionaire on his own merits".[4]

It was reported in July 2016 that Matthews's Eden Rock Capital Management fund was a major investor in a collapsed Scottish company at the heart of a £90 million fraud investigation.[14]

Glen Affric
Matthews is the managing director and heir to the 10,000 acre Glen Affric Estate

According to documents lodged with Companies House, James Matthews has been, since 2007, the "solitary managing director of Beaufort Glen Affric Ltd". The 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) Glen Affric Estate is in the Scottish Highlands. As eldest son, upon his father's death, James Matthews will inherit the courtesy title of Laird of Glen Affric. Until that time he is able to use, should he choose to do so, the title, James Matthews of Glen Affric the younger.[6][15][16]

Matthews' brother-in-law, James Middleton was reported in The Times in 2018 as hosting deer stalking parties at Glen Affric Estate. Although Matthews is the heir to the title Laird of Glen Affric, it is his wife's brother, James, who was described by Matthews himself as being "a much better host than I am".[17]

Personal life

In July 2016, it was reported that Matthews had become engaged to Pippa Middleton, sister to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.[18] Matthews and Middleton were married on 20 May 2017.[19] As the husband to Middleton and brother-in-law to the Duchess of Cambridge, he is the uncle of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Cambridge, third, fourth and fifth in line to the British throne respectively.

Their son, Arthur Michael William, was born on 15 October 2018, at St Mary's Hospital, London.[20][21][22] In December 2020, media outlets reported that the couple was expecting their second child.[23]

References
  1. "James Spencer Matthews". Companies House, Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  2. "James Matthews – Racing career profile". Driver Database.
  3. Murphy, Ian Gallagher (8 April 2018). "Girl accused of 'setting up' David Matthews". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 May 2019. Born the son of a coal miner in Rotherham, David Matthews managed to amass a reputed £40 million ($77.5M) fortune.
  4. Schnurr, Samantha (15 May 2017). "Pippa Middleton is about to Marry into a Family with Major Money". E!. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  5. Matthews, Spencer (1 October 2013). Confessions of a Chelsea Boy. Pan Macmillan UK. ISBN 978-1743513217.
  6. Gutteridge, Nick (20 July 2016). "Middleton of the Glen! How Pippa will get a title to rival her sister Kate after engagement". Daily Express. UK. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  7. Millington, Alison (4 February 2017). "The secret life of James Matthews, the multi-millionaire hedge funder who is engaged to Pippa Middleton". Business Insider. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  8. Campbell, Kieran (29 October 2014). "Inside world's most exclusive holiday retreats – Glen Affric Estate". The Australian.
  9. "Will Mike Matthews ever rest in Peace ? A sad story gets sadder". EverestNews.com. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  10. "7 Things to Know About Pippa Middleton's Fiancé, James Matthews". Town and Country. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  11. Robbins, Tom (10 May 2013). "The Eden Rock, the luxury hotel on the French Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy, has launched an outpost in Scotland". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  12. Palmer, Bobby. "Who are the Matthews brothers, Pippa Middleton's soon-to-be family?". The Tab.
  13. "Which Middleton sister's wedding was the best?". The New Zealand Herald. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  14. McGinty, Brendan (31 July 2016). "Pippa Middleton's fiancé was major investor in collapsed Scots company at heart of £90million fraud investigation". Daily Record. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  15. "Pippa Middleton confirms engagement to James Matthews". BBC News. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  16. Matthews, Spencer (1 October 2013). Confessions of a Chelsea Boy. UK: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1743513217.
  17. Vaughan, H. (1 October 2018). "James Middleton gets hotel job after business losses". The Times. Retrieved 1 October 2018. His (Middleton's) brother-in-law, James Matthews, heir to the Laird of Glen Affric title, has spoken highly of Mr Middleton, adding: “He’s a much better host than I am.”
  18. Betts, Hannah (22 July 2016). "Kate, Pippa and how to spot 'old money' and 'new money'". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  19. "Pippa Middleton marries James Matthews in Englefield". The Guardian.
  20. Tominey, Camilla (16 October 2018). "Pippa Middleton reveals birth of first child on same day as Duke and Duchess of Sussex baby announcement". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  21. "Pippa Middleton and James Matthews celebrate baby boy's birth". BBC. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  22. De Paor, Blathin (2 November 2018). "The special name Pippa Middleton chose for her son finally revealed". RSVP Live.
  23. "Pippa Middleton Is Pregnant! Kate Middleton's Sister Expecting Second Child". People. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Ivan Arias		 British Formula Renault
UK series champion
1994		 Succeeded by
Guy Smith
Preceded by
Olivier Couvreur		 Eurocup Formula Renault champion
1994		 Succeeded by
Cyrille Sauvage
Awards
Preceded by
Dario Franchitti		 Autosport
British Club Driver of the Year
1994		 Succeeded by
Guy Smith
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