She is an ever-present fixture at A-list parties around the world.
But Kate Moss failed to turn up to a star-studded Buckingham Palace garden party hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla last week – leaving organisers flummoxed and put-out.
The 50-year-old supermodel had been among more than 4,000 guests from the worlds of showbusiness and fashion invited to celebrate Britain's creative arts industry.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that officials were particularly exasperated because Ms Moss had asked for her ticket back after initially declining the invitation – only then not to show up at all.
Kate Moss failed to turn up to a star-studded Buckingham Palace garden party hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (pictured) – who wore an elegant white dress and cape with matching hat – did show up
The British Fashion Council had been forced to intervene on her behalf just a few days before the event to ensure her a spot.
A source said: 'After all the wrangling, Kate was a no-show on the day. She made her decision so late that briefing notes were sent out ahead of the event which listed her as a guest.
'Even now there are articles online which say she was attending, even though she was nowhere to be seen.' Designer Stella McCartney – Kate's best friend and fellow fashion wild child – was also invited but did not attend, citing 'work commitments'.
Last night, a friend of Kate, who is a keen smoker, quipped that the model's absence may have had something to do with the fact that cigarettes were not allowed at the garden party.
Another source said: 'Everyone behind the scenes was desperate to see Kate and were so disappointed she didn't come. Staff were wandering around looking for her.'
Last Wednesday's Buckingham Palace garden party was proposed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) because King Charles is a passionate supporter of the arts.
Some tickets had been allocated to the British Fashion Council, which then submitted a list of vetted names to attend.
Arrangements for each attendee had to be made in advance because of security protocols. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley – who wore an elegant white dress and cape with matching hat – did show up and was rewarded with compliments from Queen Camilla, who praised the model's best-selling Marks & Spencer underwear range.
Former Vogue editor Edward Enninful, model Erin O'Connor, Dame Arlene Phillips, Louis Theroux, artist Tracey Emin and Love Island presenter Maya Jama were also on the guestlist.
The 50-year-old supermodel had been among more than 4,000 guests from the worlds of showbusiness and fashion invited to celebrate Britain's creative arts industry
The source said it had been a surprise that Ms Moss had not turned up. 'It's a money-can't-buy event so there are very few people in the world who would not take up their place on the Buckingham Palace lawn to see the King and Queen, and even fewer who would be so impolite about it,' they added.
The model's no-show comes after she was seen clambering on to the stage at a Skip Marley concert in Turkey last weekend and had to be ushered away by guards.
Later, she was seen holding hands with Skip, the 27-year-old grandson of the late reggae superstar Bob Marley.
She was spotted in the front row at a Gucci fashion show in London on Monday with her on-off boyfriend Nikolai von Bismarck, the son of her fashion stylist friend Debonnaire von Bismarck.
Ms Moss was seen turning her back on 37-year-old Bismarck for much of the show at the Tate Modern gallery, seemingly doing her best to avoid him.
A spokesman for DCMS declined to comment.