Opulent Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire has long been the venue of choice for popular period dramas including The Crown, but this weekend it was the starring role for Lady Violet Manners’ 30th birthday.
The Duke of Rutland’s eldest daughter hosted a ’13 going on 30′ party in the grounds of the 15,000 acre estate.
Lady Violet shared photos with some of her guests, including one featuring the Marchioness of Blandford, Camilla Spencer-Churchill and model Sabrina Percy.
Meanwhile, Lady Jemima Herbert, the daughter of the late Earl of Pembroke, was pictured posing by the pink sparkling curtains leading to the dance floor.
“I’ve never felt so loved or lucky to have celebrated my 30th with the most incredible friends and family,” said Lady Violet, who wore a black sheer dress designed by Julien Macdonald.
Opulent Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire has long been the venue of choice for popular period dramas including The Crown, but this weekend it was the starring role for Lady Violet Manners’ 30th birthday (pictured)
Looking effortlessly elegant, Lady Violet paired her sheer lace ensemble with a statement feather boa.
She opted for a bit of glamorous make-up while keeping her hair in a stylish updo for the occasion.
Her guests looked just as gorgeous, while her mother Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland, opted for a green one-shoulder dress.
The 59-year-old Duchess previously revealed she suspects her 356-room Belvoir Castle is haunted during a performance in Lorraine.
Emma, who appeared on the ITV morning show in September to promote her new book The Accidental Duchess, said she heard bagpipes coming from the lift shaft of her Leicestershire castle late at night.
The Duke of Rutland’s eldest daughter (pictured left) hosted a ’13 going on 30′ party in the grounds of the 15,000 acre estate
Meanwhile, the daughter of the late Earl of Pembroke, Lady Jemima Herbert, was pictured posing by the pink sparkling curtains leading to the dance floor.
“I’ve never felt so loved or lucky to have celebrated my 30th with the most incredible friends and family,” said Lady Violet (pictured at her party), who wore a black sheer dress designed by Julien Macdonald .
The Duchess, who lives with her estranged husband David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland, admitted that “there are things you can’t explain” at their residence.
When asked by Lorraine if they have ghosts, she said, “Well we can have that, I got rid of most of them, you have to be strong with ghosts because they sometimes escape.”
While talking about the many famous people who stayed at the castle with the family, she revealed that actor Hugh Grant came to stay and that her daughters played a creepy prank on him.
Emma said, “He went to bed early one night, they knew he was terrified of ghosts, and the girls were banging their nails on the door, he came running out thinking it was a ghost.
Her guests looked just as gorgeous, while her mother Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland, opted for a green one-shoulder dress
“The last laugh was on the girls when they heard the sound of bagpipes coming from the elevator shaft in the middle of the night, they came running to find me and said “mom there really is a ghost now” and I went to listen and no joke , that sound was coming from our elevator shaft and I thought, “gosh, there are things you can’t explain”.’
“I’ve never seen a ghost, I’ve felt them, but thank God I’ve never seen them.”
Elsewhere, the Duchess explained that she wanted to raise her children “grounded.” The Duchess and Duke share five children, Violet, Alice, Eliza, Charles and Hugo.
Candidly, she said, “For me it was really about keeping them grounded, so the girls were running the ice cream shop, they were helping out in the gift shop, waiting tables, so everyone was really hands-on.” ‘