It seems to me like the only good thing about an office Christmas party is the open bar. Generally, isn’t that the case? Why would you spend an evening with all of your work colleagues unless there was free booze involved? Well, for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, that wasn’t exactly the case. I still don’t know what Will and Kate were celebrating last month, when they seemed to throw themselves a “lavish” party with their royal foundation’s funds. But this week, they also sort-of hosted a real Christmas party for their Kensington Palace staffers. The party was held at Beach Blanket Babylon in Notting Hill. The establishment had just lost their liquor license, so the party was BYOB (bring your own booze).
It seems even members of the Royal family aren’t immune from throwing parties during the Christmas season. Wednesday night, Prince William and Kate were spotted leaving Beach Blanket Babylon in Notting Hill after it was hired out by Kensington Palace for their annual festive bash. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by Prince Harry and his fiancée Meghan Markle, with Prince Charles also believed to have made an appearance. The Palace hired out the venue’s upstairs ballroom for their annual Christmas party and paid an estimated £110 a head to cater for 60 guests.
But according to a source, party-goers had to bring their own alcohol due as the restaurant had recently had its licence revoked. Diners quaffed on three courses starting with a choice of salmon, avocado vignette, and wild mushroom soup before tucking into a choice of five main courses. For dessert, guests chose from Christmas pudding, chocolate cake and cheesecake. The ballroom at Beach Blanket Babylon can be rented out for around £6,500 on a weekday evening before Christmas, which covers food and soft drinks.
The royal couple were seen leaving in their Range Rover by a grotty dustbin exit towards the end of the celebrations. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly left much earlier, according to a source.
Well, at least the staffers were fed on someone else’s dime. Who paid for the party again? My guess is Prince Charles paid for it. But considering these people are staffing royalty, I think £6,500 to rent out a private ballroom (with the meal included) sounds like a nice “treat” for Christmas. Even if those staffers did have to smuggle in bottles of tequila, vodka, gin, Scotch and a lot more. No booze for pregnant Kate, but I bet William got sauced and showed everyone his super-cool dad dancing again. Meanwhile, Meghan and Harry were there too? Meg’s meeting all of the behind-the-scenes people rather quickly, isn’t she?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Tacky if they made the staffers BYOB, aren’t they all millionaires? Either throw a proper Christmas party or give them a nice Christmas bonus in lieu of a party.
Spot on! From their **own** money – not taxpayers’ money.
I agree. One phone call from them to a local wine/liquor store would have been sufficient to stock the bar properly. Yes the hall lost their liquor license but no one would have said a word.
WHAT?
SMH.
That is not even close to how it works in the UK. Seriously. They couldn’t have done that at all.
Considering that you’re already commenting on a story about the fact that booze isn’t served, I think that proves the point that someone would definitely have said more than a word.
The article states that the venue had just lost their alcohol license so it would seem that instead of running around and trying to find a new venue they improvised and brought their own. Trying to find somewhere else at the last min at this time of year would have been a nightmare, esp in London – places are booked up months in advance.
Am no fan of the DoLittles but to slate them for what is the venue’s fault is going a bit far.
I was curious about the restaurant – reading some reviews, it would seem that they were pretty circumspect about the fact that they lost their license. It’s possible that whomever was organizing the Cambridge party only found out days beforehand about the booze (the restaurant wouldn’t want to lose the booking, after all) and at that point you just have to go with it.
Also, this would be a grey area under alcohol licensing. Privately providing drinks in your own home is not a licensable activity, obviously. But the Licensing Act 2003 refers to “sale and supply”. It would be difficult for even the hosts of a party in a licensable premises to argue providing the drink communally was not “supply” – ie a licensable activity. If anyone at Ken Pal had a personal licence, they could probably have done it.
(This, admittedly rough, knowledge comes from organising various types of events in my village hall. It now has a licence. £180 a year and MUCH easier!)
@ Digital Unicorn, I was thinking the same thing: the party was probably booked for a long time before the license was lost (I read that the restaurant was having trouble with the neighbors due to excessive drunken patrons/urination around the area, etc). I wouldn’t think in London (just as in LA or NY) it would be easy to find another place to accommodate a large private party close to the party date. And at least here in LA, if you want to stock your private party (in a public place) with booze, that place has to have an existing Liquor License in place. So, I also don’t think you can fault them on this one.
(Although, when they found out about the liquor issue, couldn’t they’ve transferred the party to one of the state/ballrooms at KP and hired outside caterers to cook/serve/tend bar and give the regular staff the time off? An honest question..)
I am quite sure that the staff did not have to pay for the drink. KP would have paid for the drinks brought in.
Yesssssssss. The royals have all sorts of business relationships with some of the best stores and catering would have not been a problem. I don’t know if they wanted to seem cheap (mindful of the use of public money or those of the foundation) as opposed to lavish (that’s for “private life”). Pun intended. They could have got a rich friend sponsor the event. Not that they are not of expensive and exclusive taste. #notpartyinglikearoyal
Exactly.
Sounds fun and I’d be drunk from meeting Meghan. Admittedly I don’t drink anyway, so it would be perfect for me.
I have my husband’s company’s Christmas party tonight and he just informed me that everyone will receive 3 drink tickets max. I’m ready to start pre-gaming now…
Lol!! Love this!!!
My office party was last week and we only got 2 drink tickets, and that included non-alcoholic drinks too! (Way to encourage people to be designated drivers, hah).
Needless to say the people who did get drunk at my company shindig were either very good at pre-gaming or had lots of money to spend on booze!
It totally makes sense as to why people are scaling back on Christmas parties this year. The company my husband works for has particularly had a not so great year in the press so I think they’re doing some serious damage control.
To be fair it doesn’t sound like they planned on throwing a dry Christmas party. The place just lost it’s liquor license.
I know more and more companies are doing dry holiday parties. Or they provide only wine at the table and you have to buy from bar if you want something else.
I’m pregnant so it all effects me none.
I wonder if it’s a liability thing, too. People getting drunk and then driving.
I work in a school district, we don’t have adult Christmas parties, which is fine with me. My husband had his yesterday, it was a lunch for employees only and you bought your own drinks. He’s been sober 34 years so he didn’t care.
Could be a liability thing. My company does an open bar but also offers to pay for cabs/Ubers.
Look, it seems like maybe the royals should have paid for this but their money comes from public money. I work for a state government and we have never had an employer-sponsored Christmas party because taxpayer funds just aren’t allocated for that when children need chip renewed and there are so many services that are underfunded.
I am fine buying my own alcohol or bringing a potluck dish every year knowing that taxpayer funds go back to the people and not to my parties.
No booze I don’t blame Harry and Meghan for burning out early. Outside of the small chit chat and food the liquor is what keeps the party going.
I am sure that Harry and Meghan had more important things to do, like planning a wedding.
Also not all people need booze to keep the party going, although I notice some people are quite incapable of having fun or dancing at a party without being tanked up and leave as soon as the booze finishes, whereas others are still able to enjoy themselves.
Kate should take a lesson from some makeup artist and I don’t mean it as a snark. It’s an art to “do” your face to look good in photographs and she can easily master it with a few professional tricks. What she does to her face now doesn’t do her natural looks any justice.
Yeah, I noticed her makeup recently hasn’t been doing her any favors. She’s a pretty woman, she needs help.
Unfortunately I think what comes through IS her natural look: She needs to find a way to relax that resting bitch face if she wants to look good because that’s something make-up won’t cover:
But she has two predominant modes: resting bi face and maniac grin. All in between happens too seldom and by accident. Mind you, I think that instead of Princess lessons she should take acting lessons. Not top notch level. Just replace some private activities for a decent amount of time with acting for a few roles, make some appearances, take the thermometer and do again. Repeat if necessary.
If they lost their liquor license, that’s not exactly on the Cambridges.
Damned if you do; damned if you don’t. If they had purchased the liquor there would be an outcry of “spending too much money”. They do a BYOB and it’s STILL a problem. Poor woman can’t win.
Honestly, if you throw a party for your staff, the least you could do is supply the booze. That is totally tacky.
Not really; alcohol is not mandatory for a party. It didn’t say there wasn’t anything to drink just not liquor. I threw a party at my house and told people to bring their own beer because I don’t drink.
I would have provided the staff with gift cards from the local liquor store.
harry should have married pippa
that would have been so cute
living happily ever after
On the DM (I think) there was another article about how the venue has also been problematic in the community. Too loud and trashy or something like that, which might be why they’re “in between” liquor licenses right now.
I think it’s tacky to throw a party and not pay for drinks for your guests. I think it’s even more tacky to hold the party in a venue where your guests can’t even purchase alcohol if they wanted to. Did the invitations specifically say “BYOB”? Or were many guests surprised when they showed up and were told there was no alcohol to have or purchase?
Also, if a venue has lost its liquor license, is it even appropriate or legal to show up with your own liquor? Don’t most restaurants have a policy of no outside food or drink anyways
How about the new Alexander McQueen dress she wore last night? Price tag $2045 (in dollars). Does she have any idea how much her wardrobe costs?
It’s too bad there are no photos of what everyone wore.
There is a pic of Kate and William in the car driving away from the party on DM–they say she’s wearing a black McQueen dress with a red petal pattern.
It’s definitely a McQueen dress. It’s this season’s print.
http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/gb/alexandermcqueen/mini-dress_cod34799454wv.html#dept=w_dresses
Tax payer money, of course it was byob- it is for all civil servants
My husband’s a civil servant. It isn’t BYOB at his work events, and when he claims expenses for meals, they allow a couple of drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) on the tab, as a matter of course.
Perhaps it varies by department/seniority.
They had originally planned to pay for it but then the restaurant’s liquor license expired and they weren’t able to get it renewed.
Why not have the party at the palace? The Queen had a holiday party for staff at the palace in a couple of the reception rooms. I don’t see why Kate and Will thought that a low rent restaurant that already had issues in the community regarding loud and drink guests, people yelling and peeing outside, was the place for this party.
Yeah, it’s weird they had the party at a restaurant instead if a catered affair in a royal ballroom. I’ve been to endless office parties in generic hotel reception halls. Catered, drink tickets, neutral setting. That’s just how these things work.
Is Will going commando in that top pic? WTF?
Hmmm, its always the case…..I wonder whether its the cut of his trousers, or maybe he is just a big boy, Harry never has the same problem.
Even a “big boy” can find appropriate skivvies. It’s one thing to flaunt a bit of a bulge, but that’s a full on peen outline. (I love this site for all the conversations I can’t have IRL!)
The amount of money Kate spent on that dress could have purchased a fair amount of booze for the party. When they found out that the licence was cancelled they should have offered something to the staff to purchase their own booze to bring to the party. It’s pretty cheap to have a Christmas party for the staff without booze. And the KP staff don’t get paid that well. But really it shows disorganization on the part of whoever arranged the party.