Royal follower of fashion

Prince Charles chats to Catherine Zeta Jones, who sat next to him

The Prince of Wales has made his mark on the world of fashion by attending the first Versace show to be held in the UK.

He chatted with glamorous stars at the glittering event, held at Syon House in west London, and throughout the show, each model stopped momentarily in front of him to acknowledge his presence.

The Prince was accompanied as he arrived by the designer Donatella Versace, and the event's co-host Anthony Oppenheimer, President of De Beers.

Gianni Versace was murdered on the steps of his Miami home

The show, called Diamonds are Forever, included a centrepiece of millions of pounds worth of diamonds.

Eight international jewellers designed a one-off piece for the show, and Miss Versace created dresses to suit the jewellery.

Some of the estimated £250,000 proceeds of the event, aimed at celebrating the millennium, will go to the Prince of Wales' Foundation for Architecture and the Urban Environment.

Money will also go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and Gilda's Club in London, which helps cancer sufferers and of which Miss Versace is president.

Liz Hurley is famous for wearing revealing Versace dresses

Among the stars who chatted to the prince were actress and model Liz Hurley, dressed in a tight pink Versace gown slit to the thigh and accompanied by boyfriend Hugh Grant, and the singer The Artist (formerly known as Prince).

During the show, the Prince sat next to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones, who wore a strapless lilac Versace dress with a diamond necklace.

Other celebrities at the event included Shirley Bassey, the singer of Diamonds are Forever, Michael and Shakira Caine, Bond star Pierce Brosnan, and Hollywood actress Juliette Lewis.

Royal line-up

Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss started off the show, which was accompanied by music from Bon Jovi.

The main theme was looking forward to the new millennium, with metallic, space age clothes.

Donatella Versace took over the fashion empire after her brother's death

Other Royals present at the event were Lady Helen Taylor and her husband Tim, and Lord Linley and his heavily pregnant wife Serena.

Donatella Versace took over the Versace fashion empire when her brother Gianni was murdered nearly two years ago. Princess Diana, who wore Versace clothes, attended the designer's funeral.

Miss Versace said she was dedicating the show to Liz Tilberis, the British fashion editor of America's glossy magazine Harper's Bazaar, who died of ovarian cancer earlier this year.