Pippa Middleton's private posse

 

Pippa Middleton's nearest and dearest friends have been dubbed "The Pipparettes" by the British press.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Pipparettes," as dubbed by the British press, are Middleton's friends
  
• Described as "fun, outgoing and bubbly," Alice, 29, is a teacher
  
• George Percy, the son of the Duke of Northumberland, studied at University of Edinburgh 

 Like any overnight superstar, Pippa Middleton knows the importance of having loyal friends -- those who knew her back when and those who have her back now.
Who does the world's most popular bridesmaid keep by her side?
"The Pipparettes," as dubbed by the British press, are Middleton's nearest and dearest, and their friendships began long before April 29's royal wedding.
PHOTOS: Get Pippa Middleton's Summer Style!
Alice St. John Webster: The Sporty Girlfriend
Described as "fun, outgoing and bubbly," Alice, 29, is a teacher. She's engaged and she's a close friend of both the younger Middleton, 27, and Prince William's pal Guy Pelly. An integral member of the "Glosse Posse," the young polo set in Gloucestershire, she's also tight with Alicia Fox-Pitt, Catherine Middleton's best friend from her school days.
Fiercely protective of Pippa -- with whom she played tennis on the school team -- Alice was part of "a very tight group [with the Middletons] and all best friends from the age of 14 upwards," a friend tells Britain's Daily Mail.
"They did everything together and they were all sporty and loved being outdoors." Pippa and Alice played on the hockey and tennis teams together at university as well.
Camilla Campion-Awwad: The High-Maintenance Party Girl
Friends say that Camilla, 27, is the last to leave a party and the first to wake up energized the next day. But we're not talking about just any old happy hour.
"She's a nice girl, but she expects the finer things in life," an acquaintance tells the Mail. "Camilla always wanted to go to the best places and drink champagne and fine wines."
A regular visitor to the Middletons' Bucklebury home, she works for her family's plastic surgery business and is known to have a keen eye for hangers-on who might want to get close to her well-known friend for the wrong reasons.
The 26-year-old is the son of the Duke of Northumberland and he, too, studied at the University of Edinburgh -- even rooming there with Pippa.
And though romance rumors abound, the pair are not currently a couple.
"If anything were ever to happen with George, Pippa would be the Duchess of Northumberland one day and probably richer than Kate," says an Edinburgh source.
Last month, the pair raised eyebrows when they spent a weekend together in Spain. No word on what Pippa's current beau, Alex Loudon, thinks of this particular member of her posse.