It might have been quite a few years since the Duchess of Cambridge was last snapped painting the town red at one of London's most exclusive nightclubs, but before she married a Prince and became a full time royal, Kate loved a party.
Middleton's pre-marriage years hit the headlines earlier this year with the reemergence of an anecdote detailing how The Queen had apparently disapproved of Kate Middleton's "frivolous displays of wealth" in the years leading up to her engagement to Prince William.
"If [Kate] was not with William at Balmoral then the couple were skiing or holidaying on Mustique," wrote royal biographer Katie Nicholl in 2011, as cited by The Sun. "Britain was now in recession and such frivolous displays of wealth were unpalatable to The Queen.”
At the time, Kate was a regular at London's luxe hotspots - South Kensington's infamous Boujis and the Polynesian-themed Mayfair haunt, Mahiki, to name just two.
Whatever the West-End establishment, the royal-to-be was top of the guest list - fitting, perhaps, for a women who co-founded an all-girls drinking society at her alma mater St. Andrews.
Scroll through the gallery above to see Kate hitting some of her favourite spots - with more details on the London haunts below...
Boujis
Now defunct, Boujis was once the party destination for the capital's young, posh and loaded. Run by Jake Parkinson-Smith – grandson of photographer Norman Parkinson – it was where aristocrats and socialites would gather for a boogie and a few too many crackbabies (that's a cocktail, fyi, made from passion fruit, vodka and Champagne - naturally).
It was in Boujis that Kate Middleton let her hair down in the early years of her relationship with Prince William. And therefore it is to Boujis we imagine the Duchess would award the 'Best Club of the Noughties', were she ever to present such a prestigious honour, that is...
Mahiki
Most often associated with Prince Harry: the Chelsy Davy years (not currently a movie in production) Mayfair bar Mahiki was once a prime royal hangout. Launched in 2006, it was famous for its fishbowl and treasure chests – aka actual fishbowls and treasure chests filled to the brim with cocktail, delivered to tables with a handful of straws and a not inconsiderable price tag.
And it very much still is.
Inside the tiki-themed bar in Mayfair - there is now one in Kensington, too - visitors can still find cosy corners for tête-à-têtes, a buzzing bar serving all-manner of fruity alcoholic concoctions and a dance floor adorned with multicoloured fishermans' balls.
Little wonder this was the location Kate chose to mark her grand return to London following her dramatic split with Prince William in 2007.
Cuckoo
Situated on Swallow Street in London's West-End, the Cuckoo Club was once a regular of the royal set following it's launch in 2006.
After one particular night at the pink-hued hangout, Princes William and Harry were snapped leaving the club at 3am, alongside Kate, who seemed - as the Standard reported at the time - "remarkably composed".
Raffles
Founded in 1967 by Peter Evans – named after British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles – Raffles nightclub was once favoured by the likes of Eric Clapton, Vivienne Westwood, Princess Margaret and Prince Charles. Indeed, even The Queen paid it a visit in the Seventies.
It calls Chelsea's King's Road home, and used to boast an illuminated dance floor, surrounded on three sides by red banquettes, and a pleasingly long bar to boot (though it has more recently had a luxurious refurb, featuring holographic wallpaper).
Kate paid the famous haunt a visit back in 2008, when Prince William had returned from his secondment with HMS Iron Duke in the Caribbean. As the Daily Telegraph reported, the couple left at 3:45am where they "struggled to contain their dignity" as they "clambere"' into a car.
Fun night?
Kitts
Kitts was a glorified bar billed as a nightclub, which once sat discreetly on Chelsea's Sloane Square between The Botanist and The Sloane Square Hotel.
Founded by Inception Group's Charlie Gilkes and Duncan Stirling, it was named after the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis, and featured a bar, a modest dance floor and a variety of places to sit, all dotted around. However, it was best-known as the place party-goers could 'drop in at' for a nightcap following dinner.
Kate was spotted visiting on her birthday back in 2008, accompanied by her sister Pippa Middleton, as she was then.
Mamilanji
A private members club which once sat in, yes you guessed it, Chelsea (the King's Road, specifically), Mamilanji epitomised Noughties glamour.
It boasted a grand piano – all in white – seating by way of four-poster beds, and a pink and purple-lit dance floor.
Kate was a regular at the nightclub in the early years of her relationship with Prince William, and it was another of her go-to locales in the weeks following their temporary break-up.
Public
Most will know of Public – yet another nightclub in Chelsea – because it was started by Prince William's pal Guy Pelly and was unceremoniously shut down in 2012 for failing to win a battle against the local council over opening hours.
A-listers known to have frequented the club in its heyday included Katy Perry, Pixie Lott and a bevy of royals, from Prince Harry to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Whilst it's not known if Kate ever made it through the sturdy Lots Road doors, with her sister Pippa as a regular, and her soon-to-be brother-in-law too, it is far from beyond the realms of possibility to imagine she might have snuck in one night for a spin around its sizeable dance floor.
