Socialites flocked to Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire to attend the very lavish 30th birthday party of Lady Alice Manners at her ancestral seat over the weekend.
Alice invited her nearest and dearest to come together at the 15,000-acre estate for A Midsummer Night’s Dream-themed celebration as she completed another trip around the sun.
In addition to her well-to-do friends, the second oldest daughter of David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland, and Emma Manners, was joined by her sisters, Lady Eliza and Lady Violet Manners.
Also in attendance was Hum Fleming, the great-niece of James Bond, who is due to get married in September to former Tory minister Lord (Zac) Goldsmith in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire.
The Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden revealed: ‘PR executive Hum, 35, wore a spectacular green dress and a floral crown to the 30th birthday party of Lady Alice Manners at her ancestral seat, Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire.
‘Hum was joined by her twin sister, Chloe, who wore a pink veil and a larger floral headpiece. Chloe, who works for events firm Sharky & George, was seen struggling to keep the flowers on her head while searching for her placement at the dining table.
‘Lady Alice, one of the Duke of Rutland’s spirited three daughters, wore a pink dress for the party, whose theme was A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’
The pink dress was full of sentimental meaning for Alice, and once belonged to her paternal grandmother, Miss Margaret Whigham.
Socialites flocked to Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire to attend the very lavish 30th birthday party of Lady Alice Manners at her ancestral seat over the weekend
Alice (left) invited her nearest and dearest to come together at the 15,000-acre estate for a Midsummer Night’s Dream as she completed another trip around the sun
Taking to Instagram, Alice explained, ‘It was my Granny’s wedding dress, and when she passed away last January, I got to try it on for the first time.
‘It fit like a glove, and I knew I had to wear it one day for a special moment. Turning 30 is just that! I have never worn anything so beautiful, and I hope she was happy looking down watching me swish around in it.’
Elsewhere, Alice’s close friend, and Soho property heiress, India Rose James, also picked a vintage find for the glitzy party that was held over the weekend.
Eden explained, ‘Her pal India Rose James, 33, says: “I finally had the perfect reason to wear the most amazing vintage Galliano dress.”
Upon arrival, guests were led into the venue through a hallway that had flowers draped from the ceiling.
Elegant name cards created by illustrator Cathy Graham directed attendees to their seats, where they enjoyed a candelit birthday feast.
The party soon got in full swing, and the well-heeled guests took to the chequered dance floor to dance the night away with Alice.
After the event, the socialite’s friends and family took to social media to share photographs from the special day.
Lady Alice Manners and her mother Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland, at the Longines Global Champions Tour with Longines at Royal Hospital Chelsea on August 16, 2024 in London, England
After the event, the socialite’s friends and family took to social media to share photographs from the special day
Chief among them was 27-year-old Eliza Manners, who shared a series of images from her sister’s bash as well as details of her outfit.
‘A very fun night in the best Portobello Market find,’ she wrote alongside an image of her sporting a silk orange frock.
While it might come as a surprise to some, Lady Eliza can often be found scouring through rails of second-hand clothing in pursuit of hidden sartorial gems.
Alice previously wrote in the Daily Mail, ‘You might imagine that my sisters — Violet and Eliza — and I were brought up with all the new clothes we could possibly want. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
‘For as long as I can remember my mother, Emma, the Duchess of Rutland — who raised us at our ancestral home Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire — has been passionate about buying second-hand clothing, long before it was trendy.’
Alice explained that her mother was never snobby about buying other people’s cast-offs, preferring to see it as giving new life to special garments. And she passed that passion on to her children.
It comes after Lady Violet and Lady Alice Manners praised the Princess of Wales for showing ‘strength beyond strength’ in March laster year – after she candidly revealed her cancer diagnosis.
The socialites, who are both daughters of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, took to their Instagram Stories to share reels of Kate.
Lady Alice posing with friends at her family’s sprawling estate in Leicestershire
Belvoir Castle was decorated in line with the Shakespearean theme for Alice’s 30th birthday party
Violet reposted a reel from British entrepreneur Daniel Daggers that wished the royal a ‘speedy recovery’ and urged the public ‘to please support people rather than judge them’.
‘Yes,’ she added in her own caption. Meanwhile, her sister Alice posted three white hearts along with the words ‘strength, beyond strength’ in a Story sharing the Princess’s clip.
Kate revealed in January that she is in remission from cancer. In a message on social media, signed ‘C’, she said: ‘I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year.
