Prince treated to a banquet fit for a king

As a native of South Africa's playground, my view that nothing tops Durban hospitality may be construed as being biased.

The city offers a warm climate and even warmer people.

My view was backed up by the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) delegates, including Prince Albert of Monaco . They were treated like royalty at last Friday night's IOC closing dinner, held at the Sibaya Casino.

PRINCE CHARMING:

The star attraction was the newly married prince, who arrived sans Princess Charlene. Her absence left guests pondering whether she had run off home to Benoni in light of speculation of a break-up before their matrimony. Instead, it turned out she was in Cape Town being charmed by the loveable Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

Friendly and warm, His Serene Highness dined with commoners, sipping on a 2009 Nederburg Pinotage and happily mingling with guests.

Afterwards, he posed for photographs and shook the hands of a snaking line of fans, leaving his dessert of custard and berries topped with spun sugar half-eaten.

Other guests included eThekwini speaker Logie Naidoo (who shimmered in a white and blue beaded suit), Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula and IOC member Sam Ramsamy, who hosted the gala dinner.

HEAR YE HEAR YE: Formalities, directed by acclaimed storyteller and poet Gcina Hlope, included speeches by IOC president Jacques Rogge, Ramsamy and Mbalula. They were short and relevant.

FIT FOR A KING: Sibaya's Imbizo Room was transformed beautifully. Black and white tablecloths with velvet-embossed prints and perspex jewel-encrusted candelabra centre pieces added a dimension of magic to the evening.

A starter of smoked salmon, avocado and feta cheese topped with caviar was a success.

The Eastern-inspired buffet included fish biryani, mutton curry, chicken curry, beetroot salad and carrot pickle attracted much interest - even from the prince, who tucked into the biryani with a side of pickle.

COURT JESTERS: Jazz singer Natalie Rungan, dressed in a sexy brown and shimmery little number, was simply dazzling.

She is a brilliant singer with, according to my dinner companions, ''killer legs". She was followed by members of the Surialanga Dance Company, who brought a truly South African flavour to the evening. Their Zulu/Indian dance fusion, with a rendition of the South African national anthem in Hindi, was a perfect way to show off Durban's multicultural heritage.

OVERALL: It seemed the dinner was a hit and even better than the royals' private reception, held the previous night at the Oyster Box Hotel.

Said one guest who attended the reception, "Calypso Event Management, (who organised Friday night's dinner) certainly know how to throw a bash."

Another guest, who had cracked an invite to both the lavish red-carpet cocktail party and the IOC dinner, said they had been treated to a selection of gourmet finger snacks at the Thursday do, leaving them still hungry. He had to dash off to a take-away for a "'proper meal", he said.

Calypso's Sadha Naidoo made sure guests at the IOC dinner were well fed.