The Princess of raves! Kate Middleton 'secretly went to upper-class 24-hour music festival' at Norfolk estate of her friend Rose Hanbury the Marchioness of Cholmondeley (after being persuaded by friends at a dinner party!)
The Princess of Wales appears to take the view that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
After Prince William was seen dancing at the London nightclub Koko with his old mucker Guy Pelly in June, Catherine is said to have gone raving herself.
The Princess, 41, is understood to have made her first ever visit to a music festival at the weekend, albeit a very upper-class one.
She was dining with her Norfolk neighbours, the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, David and Rose, at their Palladian stately home, Houghton Hall. At the time, the Houghton Festival was taking place on their 1,000-acre estate.
'After dinner, one of the guests suggested that Catherine go to the festival,' a source told the Daily Mail.
The Princess of Wales was dining with her friend, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley (seen here on her right) when the idea of her going to a music festival was mentioned. The friends are pictured together here at Houghton Hall in 2016
Catherine is pictured chatting with Rose Hanbury at the charity event on her Norfolk Estate in 2016
Houghton Festival, pictured here in 2019, which takes place on the 1,000-acre grounds of Houghton Hall
Houghton Festival is an arts and music festival in the Norfolk countryside. The festival is pictured above
More than 200 artists performed at the festival this year. Pictured above are attendees enjoying a live performance at a previous Houghton Festival
'Catherine was nervous about the idea, but, after much discussion with her protection officers, she went with lots of security. William wasn't there.'
Billed as Britain's only 24-hour music festival, it is the brainchild of DJ Craig Richards, who launched the event in 2017. More than 200 artists performed across 13 stages from last Thursday to Sunday with music playing somewhere on the Houghton Estate site at all times. More than 12,000 revellers were expected to attend.
Although Catherine is not known to have previously attended a festival, she does like to dance. While still plain Kate Middleton, she was pictured attending a roller-disco with friends including the jockey Sam Waley-Cohen in 2008.
A Kensington Palace spokesman declined to comment, so it's not clear why William didn't join his wife. It was the Glorious Twelfth on Saturday so the heir to the throne, a keen shot, could have been on a grouse-shooting trip with friends.
Catherine's lively night out is just the latest example of the warm friendship between the future king and queen and the Cholmondeleys, nicknamed the 'Turnip Toffs', who live just a few miles from their Norfolk retreat, Anmer Hall.
Last September, the Marquess was replaced as Lord Great Chamberlain after the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Prince William pictured dancing with friends at Camden club Koko in June. The Princess of Wales is now said to have gone raving herself
A DJ is seen providing live entertainment to Houghton Festival attendees
However, King Charles made sure that the Marquess, aka filmmaker David Rocksavage, did not lose his intimate connection with the monarchy.
In March, I reported that the King handed the Marquess a new position that would see him and his wife, the bohemian former model Rose Hanbury, returning to the heart of the royal court.
The King appointed the Marquess, 63, as his Lord-in-Waiting, a prestigious position that would see him attend important state and royal occasions, as well as being called upon to represent His Majesty at various events.
Rose married Rocksavage in 2009. He is 23 years her senior and friends had almost given up hope that he would ever marry.
Rose soon produced an heir and spare, twins Alexander and Oliver. Like Catherine, she has since given birth to a third child, Iris.
The Princess of Wales dancing with Prince William during a trip to Belize in 2022
While Catherine and William stay at ten-bedroom Anmer, previously rented out to a kitchen timber boss, the Marquess and Marchioness live in splendour at nearby Houghton Hall, one of the country's finest Palladian houses.
In his previous role as Lord Great Chamberlain, the Marquess had to walk backwards in front of the monarch at the State Opening of Parliament.
Cholmondeley left the position because of the tradition that it changes to another aristocratic family on the death of the monarch.
He was succeeded by the 7th Lord Carrington, whose late father served as Foreign Secretary under Margaret Thatcher.
