Sir Elton's summer ball raises £6.6m

It is one of the most colourful nights of the year, established alongside Royal Ascot and the Queen's garden parties as a staple of Britain's summer "season".

Sir Elton John, David Furnish and friends celebrated the couple's 10th White Tie and Tiara Ball on Thursday night. The glittering "beach-chic"- themed event, held at Sir Elton's home in Windsor, Berkshire, was attended by about 600 guests, who paid £3,000 a head. Alongside the likes of Elizabeth Hurley and Jemima Khan were Hollywood actors including Denzel Washington, Will Smith and Uma Thurman, as well as the former American president Bill Clinton.

Fittingly, records were broken at the ball's auction, which raises money for the Elton John Aids Foundation. A supper with Mr Clinton sold for £650,000 to a mystery bidder. They will dine at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at The London Hotel in New York.

The top lot – in which Sir Elton will provide the music to the bidder's own lyrics – went for £1.3m, raising the auction's takings on the night to £6.6m.

The event's veteran auctioneer, the record executive Nick Stewart, said it would be his last year: "With all my other commitments, I've been thinking of hanging up my gavel and this seems the perfect moment."

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