(courtesy the Electronic Telegraph)

Camilla at play keeps the Windsors away

Sunday 15 November 1998

By Andrew Alderson and Jonathan

ANTON Mosimann served up the food, and Rowan Atkinson, Rory Bremner and Stephen Fry the jokes at the 50th birthday party for the Prince of Wales at Highgrove last night. As the culmination of a hectic season of celebrations for the Prince, the black-tie party, which was hosted by his close friend Camilla Parker Bowles, aroused almost as much interest in those who were absent as in those who attended. The Prince's decision to allow Mrs Parker Bowles a central role meant that, although the heads of several European royal families were among the 250 guests, neither the Queen nor the Prince's sister or brothers felt able to go, for fear of appearing publicly to sanction the relationship. Those who were invited to the Prince's Gloucestershire home - old friends of the couple, mingled with royalty and celebrities - were treated to a lavish sit-down meal prepared by Mr Mosimann, who made liberal use of organic meat and vegetables from the estate. Guests were entertained with comedy skits devised by the impressionist Mr Bremner, the comedian Mr Atkinson and the actor Mr Fry. Dancing followed in the flower-festooned Orchard Room, a new annexe cruelly nicknamed "Tesco Towers" by critics. The Prince surrounded himself last night with his sons, William and Harry, and friends including Charles and Patti Palmer-Tomkinson, Hugh and Emilie Van Cutsem, Nick and Sukie Paravacini, and the Earl and Countess of Shelburne. All four couples are regulars around the Highgrove dinner table and have long accepted his relationship with Mrs Parker Bowles. In sharp contrast, the Princess Royal helped organise a "rival" birthday party at Windsor Castle for her son, Peter Phillips , 21 today. Contrary to reports last week, the Queen did not look in on her grandson's party, which was attended mainly by friends from Gordonstoun and Exeter University. The Duke of York and Prince Edward both tactfully extracted themselves from an awkward situation by overseas engagements. Prince Andrew was on an official visit to New Zealand yesterday, while Prince Edward went to Malta on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme. Peter Phillips's party for 200, organised by Peregrine Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon's half-brother, was held in the Undercroft, the former servants' quarters. Guests danced to Scottish reels. Peter Phillips was accompanied by his American girlfriend, Elizabeth Iorio, three years his senior. Other guests included the racing drivers Jackie Stewart and David Coulthard. At Highgrove, Jonathan Dimbleby, who wrote a biography of the Prince published four years ago, was among the guests, but Penny Junor, whose unauthorised book about the Prince was published last week, did not receive an invitation. Andrew Parker Bowles, former husband of Mrs Parker Bowles, and their children, Tom and Laura, were all thought to be among the guests. But, understandably, there were no invitations for friends of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. European royalty included King Harald of Norway and Queen Sonja, who once worked as a barmaid in Cambridge; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who chain-smokes and speaks four languages; and King Juan Carlos of Spain, who enjoys bullfighting and motorcycles, and Queen Sofia. Although the Prince's office refused to confirm the guest list, it is thought that representatives from five Arab monarchies were present, including Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia, his country's ambassador to the United States, and Prince Talal bin Mohammed, a nephew of King Hussein of Jordan. The Queen hosted a party for Prince Charles , with more than 800 guests, at Buckingham Palace on Friday night, but Palace officials say she refuses to be present at a gathering attended by both the Prince and Mrs Parker Bowles. Peter Mandelson, the Trade and Industry Secretary, was the only member of the Cabinet to be invited, while Nicholas Soames, a Conservative MP and fierce defender of the Prince during his divorce, was also there. The party brought booming business for hotels and guesthouses close to Highgrove; the Prince's country home has just six bedrooms. Ben Jackson, who works at the Snooty Fox Hotel in Tetbury, said they had been flooded with calls. "We could have filled our 12 rooms five times over." Friends of the Prince have indicated that he is keen to pursue a more open and "honest" life with Mrs Parker Bowles, his friend of more than 25 years. They expect them to holiday, hunt and openly attend social events in the near future.