Pippa Middleton: French aristocrat sorry over Paris ‘gun joke’ row

Mr de Soultrait, whose family chateau is located in Presles, about 27 miles
north of Paris, was a back seat passenger in the Audi. He admitted he had
apologised to Miss Middleton, 27, over the incident.

A close friend of Miss Middleton, Mr de Soultrait is founder and operator of
Viscount A, a label that sells sportswear all around the world and which is
designing the ties for the French Olympic team at the London 2012 Games.

But his claim that she “did not” find the incident amusing contradicted
earlier statements from his brother, Marcy de Soultrait, that Miss
Middleton viewed the matter as “a very funny game”.

He claimed they were followed by photographers as she was being driven to
Paris’s Gare du Nord station to board a Eurostar train to London at 2pm on
Saturday.

She had been “subject to constant and dangerous harassment by paparazzi
throughout her time in Paris”, he added.

“The car was being driven by a friend of mine, whom Pippa had only met a
few hours before,” he said.

“As a joke, my friend brandished a toy pistol in their direction.

“Obviously Philippa had no idea that he was going to do that and told
him to stop immediately. She did not find it funny.”

He added: “I regret enormously that this incident happened, and especially
that Pippa has been subject to the subsequent attention through no fault of
her own.

“I have apologised to her for this.”

Hours earlier she had attended the
opulent all-night fancy dress party to celebrate the 30th birthday

of the Parisian fashion entrepreneur.

In a series of pictures posted on a public internet site, Miss Middleton is
seen smiling and posing with several other female guests gathered around Mr
de Soultrait, who is photographed wearing a dog collar and chain while
sitting on a gilded throne.

More than 300 guests attended the Friday night party, entitled “Le Roi est
Mort, Vive le Vicomte”, which translate as “The king is dead, long live the
Viscount”.

But on Wednesday night, there was confusion over whether Miss Middleton will
be questioned by police after Paris officials denied earlier reports they
were investigating the incident or that anyone had pressed charges.

France has strict gun laws and is on a heightened security alert after an
Islamic terrorist, Mohammed Merah, used a .45 calibre Colt pistol to murder
seven people in the south west of the country last month.

Under French law, anyone who “threatens” another with a real or fake weapon
can face a prison sentence of five years.

Pictures of the incident taken by a bystander have reportedly been handed to
the judicial police, who must decide whether to alert an examining
magistrate.

If a magistrate presses ahead with an inquiry, Miss Middleton and the other
three people in the car could all face questioning

There have been reports in France, however, that French police were told to
scale down their investigation into the threatening of a photographer
because of Miss Middleton’s involvement.

It has been claimed that Mr
Rabillard was a senior adviser to one of the world’s leading small arms
manufacturers
.

The 36 year-old has taken time off work and disappeared from his £2000 a month
penthouse in central Paris.

A source at the German arms manufacturer Heckler Koch today confirmed
that Mr Rabillard represented them in legal matters.

He recently advised them on a multi-million pounds refinancing deal, regularly
meeting with Heckler Koch representatives in France and Germany.

The firm is well known for its range of USP semi-automatic pistols, which are
used by the military, police forces, security firms and private individuals
who need to defend themselves.

Mr Rabillard, who was called to the Paris bar in 2005, technically faces a
prison sentence of up to seven years if prosecutors can prove that the
weapon is real.

Even if was a fake gun “or one modified to fire blanks”, he could be jailed
for up to two years.

Close friends say he has been “lying low” since the weekend and was absent
from his desk at Shearman and Sterling, the American law firm based on the
Champs Elysee.

Mr Rabillard, who is single, is said to be among the fast-living set of
Parisians who have grown close to Miss Middleton in recent years.

On Wednesday night, police said the case was a “low priority”, prompting
accusations of a cover-up.

“If the suspects involved were ordinary kids from the estates they would have
been brought in by now,” one officer said.

”As it is this case is being dealt with at a very high level. Lots of meetings
have taken place to discuss the sensitivity of the issue, and there has been
an intervention from London.”

A source at Shearman Sterling confirmed that Mr Rabillard last year
represented Heckler Koch in a 295 million high yield bond offering
designed to refinance the company.

Asked where Mr Rabillard was, the source said: “He’s gone away. You will have
to contact him via his email.”

A spokesman was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.

Neither St James’s Palace nor a spokesman for Miss Middleton have commented on
the controversy.

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