Pippa Middleton's party host, Arthur de Soultrait, apologizes for Paris gun indident

(CBS News) A French aristocrat who threw a  birthday party last weekend attended by Pippa Middleton is now apologizing for last weekend's headline-grabbing gun incident.

Arthur de Soultrait released a statement Wednesday, in which he said Middleton - whom he referred to by her full name, Phillipa - did not know that his friend was going to point a toy gun at paparazzi while they were riding in a convertible in Paris.

Pictures: Pippa Middleton
Read more: Pippa's Parisian costume party photos cause a stir

"Last Saturday, I was in a car with Philippa Middleton, and we were being followed by paparazzi," the statement said, according to People. "She had been subject to constant and dangerous harassment by paparazzi throughout her time in Paris. The car was being driven by a friend of mine, whom Pippa had only met a few hours before. 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 added. "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."

Paris police say they've received no complaint and are not investigating the incident, according to the Associated Press.

Middleton, the 28-year-old sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, was in Paris for de Soultrait's birthday party. Photos from the costume-themed affair have surfaced in the tabloids, causing a stir of their own.