A right royal rave

First he conquered the west - the land of Mahiki. Then he sent his battalions south - to the Lightbox in Vauxhall. Now Prince Harry and his Boujis troops have waged a stealth attack on the east, opting last week for a secret warehouse party in Whitechapel - advertised on Facebook - and turning commoners' clubs into posh parties.

"Maybe the recession's bringing them over. Maybe they're fed up paying £8 for a vodka," laughs club promoter Rob Star, who was organising underground club nights long before the introduction of temporary event notices (TENs) in 2003 made single-night warehouse parties legal (and heir-to-the-throne friendly).

"We used to keep the location secret because the venues were illegal. Now we just don't advertise a venue until we know for certain a licence has been granted. It does make the whole thing feel more exclusive."

According to Star, the majority of these "secret locations" are fairly well-known among regular clubbers and frequently used by promoters. Venues under the railway arches on Great Suffolk Street near London Bridge are popular choices as well as the Corsica Art Studios in Elephant and Castle, Hewitt Street car park in Hoxton and spaces under the arches on the Kingsland Road.

Harry's pick - The Secret Market on Commercial Road, E1 - is run by Andre John at Central Locations, which keeps publicity to a minimum and texts a location to the crowd on the night of the event. "The royals and posh people want to have a good time somewhere less pretentious without the hassle of the public and press. People on our mailing list get invited - and to get on the list, you need to know someone," said John.

But despite the exclusive feel, the Prince really was slumming it like a true hardcore raver in an industrial cavern with white, graffiti'd walls and just three toilets to service the hundreds of posh clubbers packed into its 5,000 square feet.

"The places are all pretty grimy and they do tend to sweat a bit but it's because it's all a bit raw that you feel like you're getting back to the old-school rave scene," says Star. It's clearly a far cry from the VIP area at Mahiki, but Harry doesn't mind "Prince Harry seemed really comfortable just mixing with the crowd The word is he's very keen for another visit," said John. It's good to know that spending the night under the railway arches is now our best bet for hooking up with a royal.