Kate Middleton's 'Hen Party'

March 15, 2011— -- As the royal wedding approaches, news is starting to trickle in about Kate's bachelorette party, called a "hen party" in the British vernacular. Kate's sister and maiden of honor, Pippa, has taken the reins, organizing the night out for the royal-to-be and her favorite chicks.

Royal sources tell the Daily Mail that Pippa is planning a "Dirty Dancing"-themed bash at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, followed by plans for the friends to go out on the town. Four London nightclub venues have been booked for the night.

The incredible interest surrounding the royal hen party and subsequent possible privacy breaches explain the multiple venues.

"Everything is being shrouded in secrecy," a royal source says.

But discretion is not the first characteristic of a hen party, which is often associated with a depraved night of drinking, dancing and the occasional phallic accessory, for good measure. But, as Kate Fraser reports for BBC News, the parties have evolved in recent years.