The Royal treatment: Prince Harry’s Las Vegas

Cover at XS is $30 for gentlemen and $20 for ladies, but tables like this command a princely sum. Credit: Barbara Kraft.

By Amy Drew Thompson

Sure, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas …unless you’re a member of the British Royal Family, in which case the world is sure to find out. Take Prince Harry’s recent break from military training in Arizona. After a relaxing desert cruise on a rented Harley-Davidson, the future king’s brother cut loose in style, giving us a stellar model on how to vacation like royalty in some fabulous Las Vegas hotels.

Harry is a notable night owl but made it out to catch the early showing of Cirque du Soleil’s surreal, aquatic “O” at the beautiful Bellagio —with its iconic fountain out front — before losing a few hundred at Blackjack. He was reportedly delighted to learn that standard practice dictates drinks are free whilst gambling.

Over the weekend, Harry and his entourage hit the sizzling XS nightclub at the Encore at Wynn Last Vegas and Tryst at the Wynn Las Vegas next door, where he had a suite. Both properties are renowned for attentive staffers (book ahead at either nightclub for a table with bottle service), opulent spas and world-class entertainment.

And even if you opt out on the hog rental (or don’t make it past the velvet ropes to sip Grey Goose and club it like a Royal), you can still gawk at the bikes and grab late-night eats at the Harley-Davidson Café — just across the street from the Planet Hollywood Resort Casino, which will play host to the Miss America Pageant next month. For less than the cost of a floor-side table at the Wynn properties, you can feast your eyes on the moves of former “Girl Next Door” Holly Madison and a bevy of male and female dancers in the resident “PEEPSHOW,” a sexy, playful burlesque show that’s appropriate for girls’ or boys’ nights out — and couples, too.

Ever the partier, it’s likely this won’t be Harry’s last jaunt to Sin City. As big brother Prince William’s already thrown the fairy-tale wedding of the decade, perhaps the free-wheeling bachelor might choose to tie the knot in one of the city’s famous drop-in chapels. Stay tuned.

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Freelance travel writer and former PLAYGIRL editor Amy Drew Thompson has been known to infiltrate a VIP section or two in the interests of journalism.

Tagged: Las Vegas