Ruritanian State Christmas Ball

LIVERPOOL has long been the home of choice for immigrants, students, ne’er do wells and people from Northampton.

We tell you nothing new.

But, occasionally, Liverpool Confidential feels the need to exclusively reveal that there is a genuine royal bloodline residing here too.

The city, more specifically Smithdown Road, remains the home of several generations of the exiled royal family of  Ruritania whose members fled the troubled country during  the revolution  of 1879.

Most of you won’t be aware of that at all, especially those of you who obsess under the misapprehension that  WAGs,  footballers and the stars of the tubular box Hollyoaks are the glitterati..

Unlike other minor courts, members of the Ruritanian house of Harpiku did not leave their wealth or lifestyle behind. Their opulent and somewhat questionable excesses travelled with them across the Balkans, as did 140 noblemen, women and servants. 

Down the years, its members and their descendents have gathered sporadically to celebrate the old country with gigantic balls. These events were inspired "only by reality" and Harpik is very disparaging of "copyists" who ran Viennese balls under the Capital of Culture banner in 2008, where people wore dinner jackets.

We asked for a statement after suddenly wondering what the hell they were up to and got this:

All of which is a long way of saying that the legendary Arthur "Count Von Essen" Black and his cohorts are staging another Grand State Ruritanian Christmas Ball that wil be uttlerly fabulous. We attended the one at at the end of 1999 and it was the talk of the town, oohh, well into the next century.

To buy tickets (£26) email them or visit here and do it the long winded way.

Go with ze open mind, ze open wallet and ze open...