Bernie Booked Black Eyed Peas for Petra's Wedding

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HE PAID $380,000 to Rihanna at his daughter's engagement party, now it's $1.5M for a band at her wedding.

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has paid the staggering sum for 'The Black Eyed Peas' to perform at Petra’s wedding next month.

The chart-topping US group, featuring Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson whose husband, actor Josh Duhamel, said in April she was treated like a rented mule, will be flown out to perform as part of the three-day celebrations being held at the 13th century Odescalchi Castle, near Rome, Mail Online reports

Ecclestone, worth a reported $3.8 billion who has denied a report that he plans to buy Formula 1, will fly 300 guests to Italy to mark 22-year-old Petra’s marriage to businessman James Stunt, 26.

The wedding celebrations will dwarf the sumptuous $2.5million party Bernie, 80, laid on at London’s Battersea Power Station to mark Petra’s engagement in May.

The no-expense-spared event is being handled by international party-planners Bentley’s Entertainments.

The event management firm is run by Peregrine Armstrong-Jones, whose brother Lord Snowdon was married to Princess Margaret. The company organised David and Victoria Beckham’s wedding in 1999 and is working on Princess Anne's daughter Zara Phillips’ wedding to Mike Tindall in Edinburgh later this month.

It’s the second high-profile private booking for The Black Eyed Peas.

In December, the group, who have sold more than 56?million albums worldwide, were flown out to the Caribbean island of St Barts by Russian oligarch and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich to perform at his New Year’s Eve party.