The Queen's Diamond Jubilee: after the show, a Palace drinks party Along with members of the production staff, who had helped make the event such a success, they were invited to a reception inside Buckingham Palace, where they were all personally thanked for their contribution. The party, officially hosted by the Master of the Household, Air Marshal Sir David Walker, was attended by many of the younger members of the Royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Zara Phillips and her husband Mike Tindall. Representing the Queen, who had already met the performers backstage after the concert to thank them for their role, members of the household chatted with some of the biggest names in music including Sir Elton John, Sir Tom Jones, Sir Paul McCartney and Dame Shirley Bassey. The Queen is understood to have asked the younger members of her family to organise the party on her behalf, to show her appreciation for the hard work that went into holding the event. Held in the Marble Hall and the Bow Room on the palace's ground floor, the reception finished at 1am. Guests, including many of the unsung heroes of the event, such as the technical staff who helped transform the area in front of the palace into a spectacular concert venue, enjoyed drinks and "substantial canapés" according to a spokesman for Buckingham Palace. Around 450 guests were invited to the event, which began shortly after the concert's conclusion. But according to one royal source, Grace Jones, the singer, was "very late" to arrive at the party. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were the most senior members of the Royal family at the event, ensured that they spoke to all the other guests in person including all the performers from the Commonwealth. None of the Royal family changed before the event and turned up wearing the same outfits they had worn during the concert. One royal aide said: "It was a very informal, relaxed occasion with about 450 people there, including a lot of the production staff who had worked on the concert."