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.

"What started off as a night with friends at home with a few bottles of Asti Spumante in the '80s became a night on the town in the '90s and a weekend away in the noughties," London restaurateur Ian Lucas explained to Fraser.

Indeed, this progression is observable from the recent history of hen parties enjoyed by women preparing to become a part of the royal family. Before her summer nuptials to Prince Charles in 1981, Lady Diana Spencer simply enjoyed a subdued night at a London wine bar with friends.

Five years later, before her wedding to Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson celebrated at London's exclusive nightclub, Annabel's.

Pippa appears to be preparing to throw her sister a party that proves, before a wedding -- royal or not --that girls just want to have fun.