It was the high life at Highgrove. Never mind the 41-cannon salute, the big guns from stage and screen descended on Gloucestershire last night as the Prince of Wales celebrated his 60th birthday one last time with an “intimate” collection of family, friends and favoured celebrities.

Seventy-five guests, including the television stars Stephen Fry and Dame Judi Dench, began to arrive at Highgrove, the country home of Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, shortly before six o’clock yesterday for an evening of entertainment, celebration and the prince’s own organic food.

Guests were treated to a 10-minute routine by Omid Djalili, the edgy half-Iranian comic, and a performance by Rod Stewart, the veteran rocker who waived his customary £1m appearance fee. The 63-year-old singer arrived half an hour before the guests at 5.30pm, accompanied by his wife, the model Penny Lancaster.

Stewart was chosen to perform some of his hits, including You Wear It Well and Maggie May. He planned to omit one of his best known numbers, Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?

Described by a source at Clarence House as a “private affair, with the feel of a wedding reception”, the meal was served in a marquee in the garden. The Duchess of Cornwall had arranged for the band which played at the wedding of her daughter Laura to play music from the 1970s and 1980s to keep the dance floor alive until the early hours of this morning.

Caterers had prepared a menu comprised of organic food, mostly from Highgrove’s Home Farm, where food for the prince’s Duchy Originals range is produced.

After a cheese soufflé served with poached eggs and bacon, guests were tucking into a fillet of beef from the Castle of Mey, the retreat of the late Queen Mother on the north coast of Scotland.

A vanilla pannacotta served with berries picked from the Highgrove estate awaited as dessert.

Many of the guests are involved with the prince’s charities. Meera Syal, who has worked extensively with the Prince’s Trust, said beforehand: “It’s a great honour, I’m very excited. It’s going to be a very special occasion.”

The guest list had been a matter of speculation for some weeks, with some celebrities known to be well liked by the prince not making the final cut. Even the novelist Jilly Cooper, a good friend of both Charles and Camilla for many years, did not make the list.

“It will be a lovely, lovely night, but I’m afraid I was not invited this time,” said Cooper.

The preparation for last night’s party was not all smooth. There were reports of disagreement between the Duchess of Cornwall’s sister, Annabel Elliot, and Michael Fawcett, the prince’s long-standing servant, over the finer details of the evening. Elliot was said to have been worried that Fawcett’s idea for a lavish floral centrepiece might have made it difficult for guests to see one another.

Last night’s event was the last of a trio of parties to celebrate the prince’s birthday. On Wednesday night at the New Wimbledon theatre, a comic extravaganza was held in the prince’s honour, with performances from John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson and Robin Williams. The following night the Queen hosted a formal reception at Buckingham Palace.

Royal ‘imposters’ on guest list

The Prince of Wales may be forgiven for thinking his family was getting bigger at last night’s birthday bash.

The guest list included Edward Fox, 71, who played his great-uncle Edward VIII in Edward and Mrs Simpson, and Prunella Scales, 76, who played the Queen in Alan Bennett’s film, A Question of Attribution.

Dame Judi Dench, 73, probably the most accomplished at playing royals, also attended. She won an Oscar as best supporting actress for playing Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love and Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown.

Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal provided the comedy, performing a sketch as The Kumars at Highgrove. Other stars included Sir David Frost, Rowan Atkinson and Joanna Lumley.

Sir Nicholas Soames, the Conservative MP and grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, arrived shortly before the Bishop of London, in full purple ecclesiastical robes. Andrew Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall’s first husband, was a surprise attendee.

Other guests included Stephen Fry, the actor, and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, the socialite.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Shrinking violet Gordon turns into raging bull
• Eddie Izzard: 'I keep thinking if I do all these things she'll come back'
• Is sex for the disabled the last taboo?