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To the paparazzi standing outside Boujis nightclub on December 13 it seemed that Prince Harry had just been on another night out when he emerged from the South Kensington club at 3am, prompting newspapers to comment that it was an unusually early departure for the 23-year-old.

What the photographers did not know was that it was the Prince’s farewell to the London party scene on the night before he flew into his first war-zone as a soldier. Guests were instructed not to mention the real reason for the party, and not to make toasts.

The Prince had invited his brother to join him for his unofficial goodbye party. Friends who were let in on the secret included Guy Pelly, who has been described as the princes’ court jester, and Holly Branson, daughter of the Virgin tycoon.

The Prince, who wore a tan jacket, open-necked shirt and jeans, was to depart for southern Afghanistan the next day.

He was a regular at the club. Matt Hermer, owner of Boujis, has said that the princes always pay for their drinks, despite the value of the publicity they have brought to the club. “The princes always pay. Given that their grandmother is on one side of the notes, it would be pretty odd if they didn’t have the money.”

Membership of the club costs £400, cocktails cost about £8 each, and tables are reserved for parties that spend more than £800 in a night.

The club’s selling point is its exclusivity, although some who gain access have been unimpressed with its qualities. The Times described it as resembling a “school disco”.

The recent absence of Prince Harry from the club has been noted by other regulars, but gossip columns refrained from reporting it.

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