London:

And to think that we once believed Jordan and Peter Andre’s wedding to bethe most spectacular celebration of a life event humanity could hope to witness. The newly 60-year-old

Elton John has just completed the last of three birthday bashes, spread over two weeks and two continents.

He held a fancy-dress “joint 100th” party with 40-year-old artist Sam Taylor-Wood on March 13 at Shoreditch town hall in east London. The host did full justice to his reputation as costume-hirer par excellence by turning up in a brocaded Franco-Soviet-Italio-Germanic-Austro-Hungarian dress uniform accessorised with partner David Furnish in US marine regalia.

Then it was on to a more private affair for just 300 of his friends at the St John the Divine cathedral in Harlem. Guests included Elizabeth Hurley, fresh from her own seven-part wedding played out over 10 days and another two continents.

Elton’s revelries culminated on Sunday night (MAR25) with a concert at Madison Square Garden at which the birthday boy was introduced by none other than Bill Clinton - who himself enjoyed three days of festivities for his 60th last year.