Matt Lauer wanted to add a little royal flair to "Today" in the form of Kate Middleton's sister Pippa, according to a new report.

Page Six claims that the former host wanted Pippa to become a regular contributor, and even tried to recruit her to the morning show by shutting down a fancy restaurant, Donohue's Steak House in New York, for a meeting. The report didn't specify when the meeting occurred, but said the royal sibling was accompanied by her publicist at the time. Other "Today" executives were also there.
However, it turned out that Pippa wasn't exactly what "Today" hoped for.

Lauer, according to the report, not only interviewed her, but he also set up a test shoot for Pippa at a ranch in Montana.
The result was "excruciating," a source said.
"Pippa wasn't comfortable with any of it. Buckingham Palace was putting her under tremendous pressure not to go forward or cause any embarrassment to her sister," the source added. "Matt and Pippa were never alone, and she wasn't really interested in the job, but nevertheless NBC staffers were nervous about Matt's interest in Pippa."

NBC ultimately decided not to offer a job to Pippa, who's now a happily married mother.
Lauer was eventually fired from NBC in 2017 following claims of inappropriate sexual behavior. His ouster was thrust back into the spotlight last week after the release of Ronan Farrow's newest book, "Catch and Kill." In the book, Brooke Nevils, who served as Meredith Viera's assistant on "Today," alleged that Lauer raped her during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. In an open letter, Lauer vehemently denied that accusation, indicating their relationship was consensual.