PIC: Somber Pippa Middleton Steps Out for First Time Since Gun Scandal

USMagazine, Friday, April 20, 2012, 10:50am (PDT)

Not quite the bubbly Pippa the world is familiar with.

On Friday, Pippa Middleton came out of hiding in central London. Wearing a trendy color-block blouse, leggings, heels and sunglasses, Duchess Kate's 28-year-old sister wasn't in the mood to smile as she headed into the Rosano Ferreti Hair Spa.

It's the first pic of the socialite, entrepreneur and world-famous royal bridesmaid since she was photographed in Paris last Saturday; Middleton seemed to be laughing as she sat in the front seat of an Audi convertible alongside the driver, who pointed what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol at a lurking photographer.

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The photos (as seen in the new Us Weekly) sparked controversy, and even potential fines and jail time for Middleton and her three pals, when they emerged earlier this week.

Middleton had been in hiding, reportedly at the Middleton family home in the English countryside, since the incident.

No word yet on when Middleton will be questioned by French authorities.

While she never addressed the scandal, one of her friends in the car, Viscount Arthur de Soultrait, released a statement to Us Wednesday.

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"Last Saturday I was in a car with Philippa Middleton, and we were being followed by paparazzi," Soultrait explains.

"The car was being driven by a friend of mine, whom Pippa had only met a few hours before," Soultrait (he threw himself an over-the-top 30th birthday bash the night before, which Middleton attended) said of Romain Rabillard, a 36-year-old attorney.

"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 continuted.

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"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 apologized to her for this."

Middleton's royal in-laws are not pleased, insiders told Us. "This is embarrassing for them," a royal source said. The shocking scandal "has put Kate in a very difficult position," the source adds.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: PIC: Somber Pippa Middleton Steps Out for First Time Since Gun Scandal