The royal family’s favorite event planner has revealed that the late Queen was horrified by the vodka sledding at Prince William’s 21st birthday party.
The future king celebrated his milestone birthday with an ‘out of Africa’ party at Windsor Castle in 2003.
Musicians were flown in from Botswana, with costumes and celebrity guests graced the glamorous soiree.
But the biggest talking point of the evening was the elephant-themed vodka sledding, which left the birthday girl’s grandmother in shock.
Johnny Roxburgh, 73, revealed the Queen asked him what the award was.
The future king celebrated his milestone birthday with an ‘out of Africa’ party at Windsor Castle in 2003. Pictured in 2004
“I’ve thrown parties that have cost tens of millions of pounds,” he explained on Channel 5’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which airs tonight.
‘One moment we are in Shanghai, the next moment we are in Paris or Russia. I had dinner with Putin. That was pretty special.”
Speaking of the royals, he continued: ‘I’ve done weddings. I buried them. I’ve done birthday parties.
“I remember when William was 21 it was a jungle theme.
“And we have a huge vodka toboggan made in the shape of an elephant’s head.”
Before the party, the queen appeared while someone poured vodka into the elephant’s head.
The Queen (pictured in 2019) was horrified by the vodka toboggan ride at Prince William’s party
Mr Roxburgh, a former Royal Warrant holder, was responsible for organizing events for hundreds of people at Buckingham Palace, Holyrood Palace and Highgrove
And she looked at me and said, “What’s that?”. And I said, “Ma’am, it’s a vodka toboggan”.
“I could have said it was a can of Brasso because she just gave me a confused look and said ‘hmmm.’
Mr Roxburgh also revealed how he often planned parties for Her Majesty – and her keen eye for detail at a soiree.
“We ate for $600 on the Balmoral lot,” he explained.
“And the Queen always asked for pictures to be sent to her so she could see what we were building in the grounds of her castle.
In an earlier conversation with Tatler, Mr Roxburgh said the vodka toboggan was specially commissioned in the shape of a giant elephant head to keep guests entertained all night.
With great attention to detail, the royal family arranged for the Shakarimba band to be flown in from Botswana to provide entertainment.
King Constantine and Queen Anne Marie of Greece were among the well-to-do guests on William’s birthday
The Queen, Camilla Parker-Bowles at the time, was also in attendance
Rowan Atkinson was another guest at the celebrity party
Tara Palmer Tomkinson also attended the party, sporting an oversized headpiece
Mr Roxburgh, a former Royal Warrant holder, was responsible for organizing events for hundreds of people at Buckingham Palace, Holyrood Palace and Highgrove.
He described the year-old, a student at St Andrew’s at the time, as ‘incredibly charming’ and ‘great to work with’.
He continued, “We created an African jungle at Windsor Castle with large elephants made of palm husks, table centers that would put a Lion King headdress to shame, a giant ice vodka sled in the shape of an elephant’s head (which the Queen loved). Then I realized that our future king is a very cool young man.’
Prince William chose the theme for his party to reflect his close ties to various African countries and his charitable work on the continent.
The 300 guests, including friends, families and stars such as Rowan Atkinson, were asked to put on their best costumes for the evening.
With great attention to detail, the royal family arranged for the Shakarimba band to be flown in from Botswana to provide entertainment.
The Royal Borough: Kensington & Chelsea airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.