Memo to David Beckham: this is how the royal family holds a proper party.
Only a few days after Beckham stirred an outcry by publishing pictures of his daughter Harper playing princesses at Buckingham Palace, the Prince of Wales threw a birthday bash to remember for his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, who turns 70 tomorrow.
The black-tie affair for 250 of the couple’s closest friends and family began with a champagne reception last night in the gardens of Highgrove, Charles’s Gloucestershire estate, and moved indoors for a dinner sourced from the prince’s organic farm.
Only the most loyal, discreet members of Charles’s inner circle are understood to have been invited and none of them is likely to follow Beckham’s example by plastering pictures of the occasion on their Instagram accounts.
Camilla’s birthday will instead be marked by the release tonight of a new official portrait of Charles and his wife taken by Mario Testino, the celebrity photographer who is widely credited with furthering the reputation of Princess Diana, Charles’s first wife, as a global style icon.
Advertisement
After a week of mostly hostile reactions to the news that the Duke of York had invited the Beckhams to use Britain’s most famous residence for their daughter’s sixth birthday party, the pretend princesses gave way to real royals as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and former King Constantine of Greece headed the Highgrove guest list.
Camilla was joined by her son Tom, daughter Laura and sister Annabel as well as her former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles. Penny Junor, author of a new biography The Duchess: the Untold Story, said the latter’s presence should not be a surprise. “They speak endlessly and often on the phone,” Junor said.
Charles is understood to have given a speech paying tribute to his “darling wife” of 12 years.
The Sunday Times established last week that Harper and her friends are far from the only outsiders to enjoy parties at the royal palaces. A largely unpublicised royal arrangement allows charities, trusts and other organisations with a connection to a member of the royal family to hire palace facilities for functions — provided the royal in question attends.
The exact amount generated from these events is not disclosed in the palace accounts but it is understood to form a large portion of the income classified as “recharges for functions and other”. This income has raised £32.9m over the past six years.
Advertisement
Additional reporting: Rhal Ssan
@royanikkhah