Sis Pippa Throws Kate Middleton's Bachelorette Party
Kate Middleton quietly celebrates as royal wedding approaches.
March 29, 2010 -- If you were looking for an invitation to Kate Middleton's bachelorette party, too late -- you've already missed it.
According to new reports in the British media, the queen-in-waiting celebrated her bachelorette party with some of her closest girlfriends at a private location last week.
The low-key affair reportedly took place before Prince William's own stag party last Saturday. It's believed Kate's party took place while Prince William was touring Australia and New Zealand.
News stories reported that Middleton's sister, Pippa, threw the ultra private party. Prince Harry's girlfriend, Chelsey Davey, did not attend, according to news accounts.
While William's and Kate's parties may have stayed low-key, the preparations for their wedding are not. With the wedding just a month away, excitement is reaching fever pitch.
"Everybody's beginning to get quite excited by what will be the wedding of the decade," said Duncan Larcombe, ABC News contributor and royal editor of the U.K.'s Sun on "Good Morning America" Tuesday.
The wedding route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace is starting to spring to life. Balconies near the abbey are renting for as much as 100,000 pounds, or more than $160,000.
Inside the palace walls, "GMA" got a sneak peak at kitchen preparations. That kitchen averages 550 meals a day, spread out between the Windsors, staff and guests.
"We are used to doing large events, and obviously, there is a lot of excitement about things coming up," Mark Flanagan, a royal chef in the pastry kitchen, told "GMA."
Flanagan showed "GMA" some delicate hors d'oeuvres, similar to the ones the royal wedding guests will be eating.
"It's about double-checking, triple checking and making sure we got everything in the right place," said Flanagan, "and nothing has been left to chance."
Buckingham Palace entertains 50,000 people a year.
"We start planning as much as six months in advance, so there is an awful lot of details to go into," said Edward Griffiths, deputy master of the royal household -- details such as the invitation, the drinks and how people will move about the reception.
Guests will definitely pass by the royal family's art collection, which dates to when the house first opened as a royal residence in 1837.
"When you come into the state rooms," said Jennifer Scott, the assistant curator of paintings, "the works of art you see beside you are really wonderful."
It isn't all about the food and art: Security remains an ongoing part of the wedding preparations, too. Police have announced they are considering using stop-and-search orders, which would enable them to stop anyone on their way to central London.
The palace announced that William and Kate would appear together April 11 at an official event in England -- their first in their home country but the last time we officially see Kate until she arrives at Westminster Abbey for the wedding April 29.