It would have been the perfect chance to impress a future mother-in-law.
Pippa Middleton's boyfriend James Matthews had a meeting with her mother Carole last week - without his significant other in tow - in what could be a sign that he is ready to propose.
It is traditionally the father's permission a would-be husband must seek, but any man wanting to marry a Middleton must surely win over the formidable matriarch, not just dad Michael.
And financier James, 41, was dressed to impress when he met Carole at Spanish restaurant Cambio De Tercio in South Kensington last week, where they chewed the fat for almost half an hour before Pippa joined them.
