Liz's wedding palace is fit for a princess

She isn't a princess. But with a wedding venue this palatial, Elizabeth Hurley is determined to feel like one. Speculation is mounting that a spectacular Indian palace would be the setting for Miss Hurley's wedding next month.

The actress is to marry Indian businessman Arun Nayar in Gloucestershire before flying to India for a second ceremony and week-long celebration.

Your palace or mine? The golden beauty of the 347-room Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur where wedding preparations are underway

Umaid Bhawan Palace, the 347-room home of Jodhpur's ruling family, would be the perfect location for Miss Hurley's 200 guests, including Victoria and David Beckham and Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish.

Spectacular: The palace's magnificent banquet hall would be ideal for 200 wedding guests

Set high above the desert city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, it is the last of India's great palaces and one of the biggest residences in the world.

The sandstone Art Deco-style building is surrounded by 26 acres of flower-filled gardens and boasts lavish gilt and marble decorated interiors.

Yesterday the couple remained coy about whether they had decided to hold their March 8 ceremony there. But hotel staff said frantic preparations were under way for a celebrity wedding.

"None of us are being told much but we have heard a famous Hollywood actress is marrying an Indian businessman here," one said.

"The couple will stay with the royal family in their private quarters at the back of the palace but I think their guests will stay in the attached hotel."

Another said: "We have been told an Indian businessman called Mr Nayar is marrying here on March 8."

Mr Nayar's stepmother Joanne said the ceremony would be an "elaborate" affair and confirmed it would be held in Jodhpur, where the palace is a key attraction.

"After the British wedding on March 3, the couple will be going to Mumbai for a couple of private parties," she said.

"But the main wedding ceremony, which will obviously be an elaborate one, will be in Jodhpur.

"These festivities will go on for a week until March 10. The wedding itself will be a very low-key, private affair with no more than 200 guests.

"Arun and Liz make a fine couple. They are both high achievers in their own right and I cannot wait to welcome Liz into the family."

It is thought Mr Nayar, 43, will arrive for the ceremony on a white horse, flanked by family members on camels and elephants.

Miss Hurley, 41, in a £4,000 pink silk sari from Indian couturier Tarun Tahiliani, is expected to exchange vows with him in a flower-filled pavilion in the palace grounds.

Guests will apparently dine on Indian, Mexican, Italian and Continental foods from three Michelin-starred chefs flown over from Britain.

Sources in Mumbai said Mr Nayar's mother Gunay was a "whirling dervish of energy and focus" as she prepared for the party, which is estimated to cost more than £1million.

One friend said: "She is determined not to be outdone in the glamour stakes. She knows the English wedding is going to be held in a beautiful mansion and what better than to have the maharajah host the Indian wedding in his own palace? This is going to be one extravagant affair."

Although the royal family still live in the palace, part of the vast building has been converted into a deluxe hotel.

It is thought the couple has been invited to stay in the private quarters of the maharajah, His Highness Gaj Singh, while their guests will take over the hotel, which charges up to £2,000 a night.