The morning after she so memorably sashayed through Westminster Abbey clad in a cream silk dress that showcased her famous derrière, the world seemed to be Pippa Middleton's oyster. Not only had the Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister come dangerously close to upstaging her older sibling, her obvious lust for life and ever-ready smile swiftly won her admirers from across the social spectrum. But almost four years on from the Royal Wedding of April 2011, things are looking very different for 31-year-old Miss Middleton. Scroll down for video . Nothing to celebrate: Pippa Middleton has reportedly failed to agree a deal with broadcaster NBC . Panned: Pippa's party guide Celebrate! failed to wow the critics - or the book-buying public . Her party book Celebrate!, launched with much fanfare in October 2012, bombed, with its author ridiculed for her penchant for stating the obvious and her breathless prose. Writing in the Daily Mail at the time, reviewer Jan Moir pointed to her less than original ideas (pumpkins at Halloween anyone?) and her lack of any obvious qualifications beyond penning the blog on her parents' Party Pieces website. 'From the moment she appeared in butter satin at her sister’s wedding, Pippa has struck absolutely no one as the kind of girl you would always find in the kitchen at parties,' continued Moir. 'And would she really have gained a lucrative publishing contract to write about something she calls "simple, creative entertaining" if her sister were not married to a member of the Royal Family?' It wasn't the first time that the question had been asked and it certainly wouldn't the last. Next came news of a column for Waitrose Kitchen, which launched in April 2013 although not before a storm of criticism had broken over both magazine and writer's heads. Established chefs were appalled that a woman with no obvious cooking experience had been hired and accused Waitrose of publicity seeking, while Pippa was once again charged with capitalising on her royal connections. At the time, editor William Sitwell hit back, arguing that Pippa 'will be an excellent contributor to the magazine, bringing with her a wealth of experience of entertaining, gained in part from working at her family's party business.' Critics disagreed and pointed to the 31-year-old's lack of kitchen experience and talent for stating the obvious, with lines such as 'Regardless of how tired I might be, the moment Friday lunchtime arrives I get that contagious pre-weekend excitement' widely mocked. Nevertheless, the Pippa bandwagon rolled on, with the Duchess of Cambridge's sister adding a Telegraph column and the role of contributing editor at Vanity Fair to her CV. Then it all began to go wrong. First, in March 2013, she was dropped by her literary agent David Godwin who had helped her launch Celebrate! Royal relations: Pippa, left, at the 2011 Royal Wedding and right, at the 2013 christening of Prince George . Speaking after the news broke, he said: 'I am very sorry it has happened, but yes, it is true: I no longer represent Pippa and I wish her every good luck.' Then, with lacklustre sales uppermost in publisher's minds, plans for a follow up to Celebrate! were quietly shelved. In January 2014, her US publisher Viking dropped her altogether having sold just 18,000 copies of the book, with a source telling the Sunday Times that 'Pippa's Celebrate sales are nothing to celebrate. 'She was a superstar after the wedding, and everybody thought it would be a success. Even Sarah Ferguson sold more books when she started her writing career.' Just six months later, in June last year, her Telegraph column, only six articles old, was axed after the paper discovered that its readers 'just weren't into it'. A source, speaking at the time, added: 'There was a lot of negative mail coming in after each column and there were too many off-limit subjects for her. They ran out of ideas.' Her Vanity Fair column, meanwhile, was laughed at, with the 31-year-old once again accused of trading on her royal connections and of stating the obvious. Passion: Pippa's most recent column for Vanity Fair focused on the best places to ski . Problems: Brother James, seen at the Invictus Games, has also been accused of trading on his royal relations . One particularly memorable line in a piece on Royal Ascot written in June 2014 read: 'Car Park 7 (which is reserved for Royal Enclosure members) is also a lovely spot to soak up the atmosphere and watch people, their hats, and general activity pass by.' Her most recent column focused on where to ski, with Courchevel, St. Moritz and royal favourite Verbier all coming highly recommended. But while Pippa's foray into travel writing went relatively smoothly, her attempt to move into TV is apparently over before it even began. Wooed by US broadcaster NBC after an interview conducted by host Matt Lauer proved a ratings winner, attempts to turn her brand of Middleton magic into something more substantial hit the buffers when she apparently 'failed to convince' in pilot scenes. According to reports over the weekend, talks  over a £400,000 contract have 'stalled' with sources describing a  scene featuring Wild West dancing as 'cringe-worthy'. Not that you would know it from her December 2014 column for the Spectator. Excitedly describing her visit to Wyoming, Pippa gushed about her experience of line-dancing and talked of the 'stunning' mountain scenery. 'Not convincing': Pippa was a ratings hit when she appeared on NBC but contract talks have stalled . 'Wyoming is real cowboy country,' she continued. 'Everyone wore cowboy boots and the men had big, non-ironic moustaches that curled upwards.' Not one to claim the laurels undeserved, she cheerfully admitted to being less than brilliant and worried she might have scuppered her chances of appearing on Strictly Come Dancing. 'It’s easy to get carried away with the whole free-riding atmosphere. My dance partner was about 80, and I did my best to keep up,' she continued. 'But it turns out I have two left feet, at least as far as moving to rhythm is concerned.' NBC apparently agreed. And yet, sources say that the breakdown of talks isn't only because of Pippa's 'two left feet'. Indeed, as the more charitably minded have pointed out, she has plenty going for her in the UK - a factor that has made her reluctant to relocate to New York. That she is so attached to London has more than a little to do with the increasingly busy role she has taken on at the British Heart Foundation, a charity which she has long championed. Taking priority: Pippa has taken on an increasingly busy role at the British Heart Foundation . Love: Boyfriend Nico lives in Geneva and friends say Pippa was reluctant to put more distance between them . Then there's boyfriend Nico Jackson, 36, who has been part of her life since 2012, but lives in Geneva - friends say she was reluctant to make the distance between them even larger. More reasons to stay include her job editing The Party Times, the online magazine belonging to her parents' company Party Pieces, and her continuing work for the Spectator and Waitrose Kitchen. Next month, Pippa will become an aunt for the second time when her sister gives birth to a brother or sister for Prince George. In June, she has another big engagement coming up, leading the London to Brighton charity bike ride as part of her work for the British Heart Foundation. Indeed, it seems there's no shortage of things to keep Pippa, whose company recently posted a healthy £220,000 profit, busy. She might have lost a column  and a £400,000 deal with NBC but while she is no longer the fresh-faced ingenue who burst onto the scene so memorably in 2011, the younger Middleton sister clearly isn't beaten yet.
Pippa Middleton was seen as a breath of fresh air when she first appeared . Became famous after nearly upstaging her sister during  Royal Wedding . Was handed columns in Vanity Fair, Waitrose Kitchen and the Spectator . But was dumped by her publisher after her party book failed to do well . Talks between her and US broadcaster NBC have apparently broken down . Pippa's attempt at presenting has been described as 'not convincing'
Still has two columns and is patron of The British Heart Foundation . Friends say talks broke down because Pippa wanted to remain in the UK .