Pippa launches party planning book (From Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News)

Pippa launches party planning book

8:49pm Thursday 25th October 2012 in National Entertainment News © Press Association 2013

Pippa Middleton has celebrated the launch of her first party planning book at a lavish event in central London.

She was joined by close friends, family and publishers at Daunt Books in the capital where she stopped to pose for photographers in a Stella McCartney dress.

Celebrate: A Year of British Festivities for Families and Friends, has been described by publisher Michael Joseph, an offshoot of Penguin, as a book "packed with recipes, crafts and inspirational ideas".

It claims to be "a one-stop guide to entertaining throughout the British year" and aims to help readers plan a variety of events from Christmas and Easter to family birthdays, brunches and picnics.

The 416-page glossy hardback, which features photographs of Pippa engaging in party planning activities like cooking and decorating, has hit the shelves and is on sale for £25.

Speaking outside the launch event, Pippa, 29, told journalists she felt "really, really nervous".

She said: "I feel incredibly lucky to be in this position to publish a book. It's been a crazy few years since my sister's wedding. It's had its upsides and its downsides and I feel really fortunate to build a career as a writer."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did not attend the private event. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the royal couple were both in Anglesey while William carries out duties as an RAF search and rescue pilot.