Pippa Middleton’s Father-In-Law Questioned By French Judge Over Claims He Raped Teen Girl

David Matthews, who is Pippa Middleton’s father-in-law, was reportedly questioned by a French judge in connection with allegations that he raped a 16-year-old girl in the 1990s.

According to Daily Mail, the 78-year-old was interviewed by Judge Jean Rea in Paris on June 16 and Dec. 7, 2021. The entrepreneur allegedly raped the then teenager on two occasions between 1998 and 1999. The first time was reportedly in Paris. The second time allegedly happened on the Caribbean island of St Barts where he owns Eden Rock hotel where people spend £5,000 ($6,380.50) for a night stay. The former racing driver vehemently denies the allegations, according to The Sun.

He was first interviewed by cops in April 2018 after being taken to custody as he flew into Paris from the Caribbean. Matthews, whose son James married Kate Middleton's sister Pippa in 2017, spent 48 hours in custody before being charged with two counts of rape. The rape case was passed to a judge to decide whether to bring it to a full trial. As a result of judicial delays and the Covid pandemic, it has dragged on for years.

Last week, a court spokesman in Paris confirmed the case is "ongoing," and that "no hearing date has therefore been set." Last weekend Matthews declined to comment on the case. He previously claimed to friends that he is being "set up" by the woman to "cause his family embarrassment." It is something that he denies.

The accuser’s father previously said that the idea that "she is doing this for compensation or for any reason other than a desire for justice is completely wrong."

The woman reportedly told cops that she was first groomed and assaulted when she had just turned 15. She is said to have told that the first alleged rape took place when she was 16. At the time of Matthews’ arrest, the statute of limitations for prosecuting rape in France was two decades. It means the charges could have been time barred. In 2018, a new law extended this to three decades for complainants under the age of 18.

Matthews' first marriage was to Britain’s first woman racing driver Anita Taylor. After they got divorced in 1969, he married artist Jane Parker.