Duke's daughter and the sixth-form night of terror

The eldest daughter of the Duke of Norfolk was among a group of sixth-formers celebrating an 18th birthday in the Tiger Tiger nightclub when the bomb drama unfolded.

Lady Rachel Rose Fitzalan-Howard, 18, was with friends from prestigious St Mary's School in Ascot, Berkshire, for the party of fellow pupil Liz Howard.

Miss Howard last night recalled how she saw the bomber's Mercedes parked outside the club at 1.30am - but assumed it was a parent picking up a fellow reveller.

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She told The Mail on Sunday: The next minute I saw paramedics peering into the car and shaking their heads. Then the police suddenly came and we were all told to get back inside the club.

"There were a lot of frightened people. The party planner told me they thought there was a bomb outside but I wasn't allowed to tell anyone in case everybody panicked.

"A few minutes later, the police said we had to evacuate and we were taken out the delivery exit. It was all so terrifying."

The teenager had invited 150 friends to her party, including 45 girls from the school.

A spokesman for the Duke of Norfolk, Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, declined to comment.

Tiger Tiger reopened for the first time yesterday. Security guards scanned anyone going in with metal detectors.