Inside Duchess Sophie's lavish 60th birthday plans: partying with Princess Kate, celebrity guest list and more
The Duchess of Edinburgh turned 60 on 20 January leaving royal fans wondering how Prince Edward's wife would be spending her milestone birthday.
Unsurprisingly, it seems the royal rang in her sixties in style as, according to The Sun, Sophie was surrounded by friends and family on her special day.
The mother of two is said to have kicked off her day with a round of pheasant shooting on the Windsor Estate with 10 of her closest friends with special permission granted by King Charles.
One of the royal family's most controversial hobbies, going pheasant shooting, is a decades-old royal tradition that is usually reserved for Boxing Day at Sandringham.
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The ever-stylish royal is also said to have hosted a dinner and dance at her Bagshot Park home where she has lived since her royal wedding in 1999.
The 120-room mansion saw some of Sophie's closest friends and family arrive for a lavish evening, including the Prince and Princess of Wales though all members of the royal family are said to have been invited.
It has also been reported that in order to have a seamless evening, staff were borrowed from Windsor Castle as Sophie and Edward only have two members of staff day to day – a butler, or household manager, and a maid.
A right royal guest list
Among the royals in attendance were a number of high-profile names. Musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is a long-term friend of the couple and is said to have been in attendance, as well as the Duchess' former colleagues at Capital Radio where she worked as a press officer before she married her prince.
Sophie is also said to have maintained friendships with several of her PR friends and those she met while working as a ski company rep in Switzerland – all of whom made an effort to celebrate with her at Bagshot.
The royals weren't the only family members on the guest list as the royal is also said to have invited her father Christopher Rhys-Jones, who resides in Kent where Sophie grew up, and her brother David.
Royal children in tow
A doting mother like Sophie is also sure to have involved her children in her plans.
Her daughter Lady Louise, 21, is said to have travelled down from her digs at St Andrews University for the occasion while Earl James, 17, will have had an evening away from his school books to celebrate his mother's milestone.
Capturing her milestone
News of the celebration comes just days after the royal family released a set of beautiful photographs to mark Sophie's 60th.
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The shots, captured by Christina Ebenezer at Bagshot Park, showed Sophie beaming in a number of beautiful outfits, including a black roll-neck and white pleated skirt ensemble which showed her as the stylish modern royal she is.
