The Princess of Wales’ brother-in-law has told a planning inquiry the couple’s high public profile means they need a higher level of security at their home, amid an ongoing row over public access to part of their drive.
James Matthews, who married Kate’s sister Pippa in May 2017, installed an electric security gate at Barton Court, in West Berkshire, in September 2022, which blocked access to a pathway “used by the walking public for decades”, according to some locals.
Walking group West Berkshire Ramblers then applied for a “definitive map modification order” in January 2023 to recognise a public footpath on the land, which West Berkshire District Council investigated.
The council found the route was “reasonably alleged to exist as a public right of way” based on evidence, legislation and case law, inquiry documents said.
Matthews, who purchased the 32-room property in August 2022, objected to the decision, and told the inquiry the gate had raised no objections from the local parish council or neighbours.
He and Pippa live in the £15million 145-acre property with their three young children.
Speaking at on the first day of the inquiry on Thursday, Matthews said there was nothing in the conveyancing process which alerted him to any public use of the drive when he bought the home.
“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,” said Matthews, whose brother Spencer was a cast regular on Made in Chelsea.
“Therefore to improve security for my family, before we moved in, I arranged for an electric security gate to be erected on the drive.”
Matthews said the gate is “kept shut” except on the odd occasion that family or friends may visit, and had been strengthened in 2025 due to a “continued need to enhance security”.
He also said he had seen “only a handful of people, on maybe two or three occasions, walking along the drive” in the last three-and-a-half years.
Matthews told the inquiry at Kintbury Coronation Hall, Hungerford, he had spoken to those on the drive each time and told them it was not a public footpath and they had agreed with him.
A spokesperson for Matthews and his family said he had the right to “create a safe environment on his private property, for his young children playing outside, away from foreseeable risks through uncontrolled trespassers and traffic”.
“For as long as records exist, there has never been a footpath/public right of way on the land currently under discussion,” the spokesperson said.
“For decades past there has always been signage pointing out this is the driveway to a private property, with no public access. There are other clearly marked footpaths nearby.”
In a statement, West Berkshire District Council said the application was based on “the legal principle that a public footpath can be deemed to exist if it has been enjoyed by the public for an uninterrupted period of 20 years, without force, secrecy or permission”, or had been dedicated by a landowner in the past.
David Hill, the estate manager for Barton Court between 2016 and 2022, told the inquiry on Thursday morning he did not recall regularly encountering people on the drive who were being told not to be there.
“Occasionally I would come across someone who appeared to be lost or unaware that they should not be there. It’s hard to estimate but probably one person every two-to-three months although sometimes not as often as that,” he said.
“Always individuals, never groups. In those instances, I would ask whether they were lost or whether they needed assistance. I would tell them that it was not a public footpath and was a private drive.
“They would either turn back the way they had come, or if they were close to the other end of the route, I might allow them to continue.”
Trevor Coles, a nearby resident of the area, said in a written statement: “Past proprietors of Barton Court have always respected the authenticity and value of this right of way and it is only since new owners have been in residence that obstructions have appeared.
“Historically, I have absolutely no recall of any hindrance being put in the way of locals and ramblers.”
In another written statement, Neal James Pike said: “I do not understand why the present owners are trying to close the use of Mill Lane when it has been used by the walking public for decades.
“It will interrupt free movement of people who appreciate the lovely village of Kintbury and its surrounding countryside.”
The inquiry continues, and a decision is expected in June.
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