Diamonds and drama! The last ever Boodles Boxing Ball was one for the books

It’s also been a hotspot for the royals. In 2011, in-laws Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton were spotted at the hand-swinging shindig. In 2013, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were among the rowdy revellers. This year there were sadly no royals among the crowds, but British diamond scion Honour Wainwright was sure to reflect amicably in her shining suite of baguette-cut bliss. ‘It’s emotional. It’s been a rollercoaster. My cousin, who is our MD at Boodles, founded the event. He fought in the very first fight and he still can’t breathe out of one of his nostrils off the back of it. He was knocked out within the first five seconds,’ she laughs. Hopefully regular airflow resumes by the times she weds Tennis-royalty descendant Charlie Coleman, son of Annabel Croft, later this year.

FLASHBACK! Princess Beatrice of York at the event in 2013
Handout/Getty Images

So, who was there for the final hurty-hurrah? Lady Delphi Primrose looked simply divine in a ruched lace gown, while her mother Lady Caroline oozed elegance in an excellent all-black number. Social scene party regulars Zara Martin and Hana Cross were spotted too, trying to guess whose portrait speed painter Dave Sharpe was splashing onto the canvas before punch-off. Perhaps the continuous Bond theme tunes should have been a clue before the portraits of Daniel Craig and Casino Royale’s Kurylenko were auctioned off for a handsome £20,000.

Outfits inside of the ring were stellar too. Dressed in Boodles pink and black, the bravest of the pack stepped onto the square to battle it out in full bravado. Flinches, winces and even some swoons were heard in the surrounding tables filled with deep-pocketed attendees. The Boodles Boxing Ball may have come to the end, but the bruises for the better – and certainly the diamonds – will live on.