Pippa Middleton: What's Next for Kate Middleton's Little Sister

May 3, 2011— -- Now that the royal wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William is over, many are waiting to see how Kate's little sister Pippa Middleton will cash in on her new-found fame as Britain's most eligible woman.

Pippa's ivory satin cowl-necked dress, which she wore as Kate's maid of honor, got worldwide attention. Several Facebook websites were set up to pay homage to her bottom, which was showcased in the form-fitting dress designed by Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton, the same designer who did Kate's wedding gown.

As the new Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, 29, has become a member of the royal family, but Pippa, 27, earned the nickname Her Royal Hotness.

So what to do with this new spotlight?

Some British royal watchers say Pippa is headed to the altar just behind her sister.

Named the number-one society singleton by Tatler magazine in 2008, Pippa is all but engaged. In December 2010, she began dating former cricket player Alex Loudon, 30. But according to the Daily Mail, the couple has kept quiet about their relationship to avoid stealing attention from William and Kate.

Loudon's status with the Middleton family was underscored Friday when he sat with them in the front row of Westminster Abbey.

A friend was quoted in the Mail saying, "Pippa has been busy planning her sister's wedding so she and Alex are biding their time. But they are very close and may well be the next couple to make an announcement once Royal Wedding fever has died down."

Naturally, many would-be suitors will be disappointed, including Justin Bieber's stylist, Ryan Good. After the wedding, Bieber tweeted "congrats to William and Kate ...and Kate's sister. She was a hit with @thatrygood," referring to Good.

There will also be disappointment for the folks hoping the obvious good-natured chemistry between Pippa and Prince William's brother and best man, Prince Harry, might translate into something more.

According to the Daily Mail, the 26-year-old red-headed prince was seen telling Pippa as they walked out of the Abbey, "You do look very beautiful today -- seriously."

Judi James, who bills herself as an expert in body language, told the British tabloid The Daily Star that it would be "criminal" if Prince Harry and Pippa do not end up as a couple.

"When they were walking down the aisle they exchanged a series of looks like they were already an established couple. They are a perfect pairing," she said.

"Two billion people saw the chemistry between them," said James. "If I was Harry's girlfriend Chelsy, I would bow out gracefully now."

Clelsy would be Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry's on-and-off girlfriend and date for the wedding.

Pippa is reportedly good friends with Davy and the two often party together, making a Harry-and-Pippa coupling unlikely.

More likely, Pippa, whose full name is Philippa Charlotte Middleton, will use her newfound stardom to boost her business profile.

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with an English degree, Pippa carved out a career doing two things she loves, partying and networking.

She began working for an events planner, Table Talk. Then, in the summer of 2010, she launched The Party Times, an online party magazine for her parents' party supply business.

What Next for Pippa Middleton?

Pippa put some of her knowledge to use during the wedding festivities, planning the wedding night's big bash at Buckingham Palace with disco balls and a DJ.

Pippa would do well to take notes from another pair of famous society sisters, Jackie Kennedy and her younger sister Lee Radziwill. Like Pippa and Kate, Radziwill was considered the glamorous party girl to her more demure older sister. And when Jackie married John F. Kennedy, Radziwill, her maid of honor, was catapulted onto the world stage.

Lee went on to marry Polish Prince Stanislaw Radziwill after getting her first marriage annulled, tried her hand at acting and interior decorating, and hung out with celebrities like Truman Capote and Giorgio Armani.