James Middleton breaks silence over feud with neighbour who put up 'malicious posters' about his parents
Princess Kate's brother James Middleton is in a dispute with one of his neighbours, who has repeatedly made noise complaints to the local council.
David Alderton, who lives directly opposite James and his wife Alizée Thevenet's Berkshire property, is also claimed to have put up posters around the local village of Stanford Dingley attacking the Middleton family.
Speaking to The Independent, James talked about the disagreement for the first time.
He said: "Police were contacted shortly after our son was born as we became increasingly concerned by the activities surrounding a neighbour. West Berkshire Council became involved when our neighbour complained about noise from tractors and animals at the farm along with a series of other complaints."
He termed the complaints "disingenuous" and emphasised that West Berkshire Council found no reason to investigate them.
The entrepreneur went on: "Mr Alderton has a history of disputes with neighbours within the village. In 2017 he took legal action against the parish council and a parishioner, and intimidated locals for objecting to a series of planning applications, all of which were refused."
The report claims that James' neighbour trespassed on his property, including allowing a journalist to film using a drone and verbally abusing a friend who was house-sitting for the family while they were on holiday.
The 37-year-old also alleges that his neighbour put up posters around the village criticising James' parents' former business Party Pieces, and demanding that Carole and Michael Middleton pay back any former creditors.
"[Mr Alderton's actions] bred animosity in the community, rumour, ill feeling, and caused myself and my family anxiety and distress," James commented to the paper.
While David Alderton wouldn't speak to The Independent, the 65-year-old, who runs a motorcycle dealership, told The Mail in February 2023: "This month we have further been subjected to the unwelcome toxic and noxious ingress of fumes within our home from the clearly unsuitable machinery he uses.
"It's a matter of public record that complaints have been made to the local council but nothing has been done. There are three barns full of old farmyard machinery, no good to anyone and it’s all going on 50ft from our front door.
"It's ancient, noisy, dirty, smelly machinery, old Massey Fergusons, an old threshing machine, wood chipping machines, you name it. It's a farm so I suppose he thinks he feels justified in having farm machinery even if it's derelict. But he has a duty of care to his neighbours and the environment – it should not impact on people nearby."
James said in response: "It is sad that someone who chooses to live in the countryside in a farming community cannot accept that from time to time there will be noise and smells from tractors and animals, especially if they live next to a farm.
"We would be neglecting our duty of responsibility for the animals and countryside if we did what he asked us to do to our livestock."
The disagreement reportedly began after James was one of a group of people who objected to a planning application for a new dwelling.
