We don’t often see the Prince and Princess of Wales let loose, but back in the days of their early romance, William and Kate were often spotted partying at the royals’ favourite London nightclub, Boujis.
The club’s owners, Carlo Carello and Jake Parkinson-Smith – who are now opening a new club called Gallery in South Kensington on 27 March – were privy to one of the royal couple’s dates at their infamous South Kensington venue and told HELLO! about their drink of choice.
© Jimi Herrtage“Kate and Will did love their Crackbabies as on their first date at Boujis, that I can say” says Carlo. “They say it was their first public outing.”
“We were all there”, confirms Jake of that special evening in their early courtship.
© Getty ImagesIn the noughties, members-only club Boujis was the place to be, known for its star-studded Tuesday night guestlist and the notorious Crackbaby shots of passion fruit, vodka, Chambord and champagne.
There was also a giant Crackbaby called the ‘Faboujis Egg’ where the cocktail came in an egg-shaped ice sculpture.
Many will remember photographs of Kate Middleton back in 2007, then aged 25, taken as she left Boujis with her sister Pippa, looking glamorous and carefree in an array of minidresses during her now-infamous break from Prince William.
© GettyEveryone from Leonardo DiCaprio, Rihanna, Paris Hilton and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, along with the society crowd graced its dancefloor. Will Smith partied there with his son Jaden and Metallica once turned up in five limos.
Carlo recalls one evening Lady Gaga came to the club after her London show.
© Getty“It was just that picture perfect moment of everything going to plan as a nightclub owner,” he remembers. “From the arrival, she gets out of the car in a white leotard with her sunglasses looking mega. Then, ‘Please can I perform?'”
But in 2016, Boujis’ doors shut after a brawl broke out, and the stars’ favourite haunt was no more. However, the team behind Boujis opened B London in 2023 and now their new venture Gallery, on the site of another former ‘It club’, Mahiki.
© GalleryThe club opened on 27 March, with the likes of Kate Moss, Harry Styles, Poppy Delevingne and Stormzy on the invite list, as well as men of the moment, Oscar Timothee Chalamet and singer Benson Boone.
Carlo and Jake don’t reveal if royals are on the guestlist, but with Kensington Palace nearby – where Princess Eugenie and Princess Kate have homes – it won’t be a surprise if they pop into Gallery.
“We were very lucky to be on their doorstep and saw them drive past on a daily basis… a little wave,” adds Jake of the heir to the British throne and his wife in the Boujis days.
Will there be any new headline-making cocktails at Gallery, we wonder?
“At the moment we’re looking at drinks that come out of giant watermelons,” Carlo tells us. And the club’s most expensive drink? “Probably a £10,000 bottle of champagne.”
