Robbie's Phoenix gig will make him Prince of the Park

ROBBIE WILLIAMS is set to play the biggest outdoor pop concert ever staged in Ireland when he sings before more than 100,000 people at the Phoenix Park in Dublin next year.

Dubbed King of the Castle after his performance at Slane in 1999, Williams is set to become the Prince of the Park next summer.

Details of the concert to be held on August 9, 2003, were announced by the singer in Berlin yesterday when he revealed the itinerary of a European tour to coincide with the launch of his album, Escapology.

Numbers attending the Dublin concert are expected to shatter the record held by the 80,000 people who normally attend the annual music festival at Slane. Concert promoters MCD have secured permission from the authorities, including Dublin City Council and the gardaí, to stage the Phoenix Park concert, despite fears that objections from local residents might force the show to be moved to another venue.

Williams' Dublin gig will be the final leg of a 15-date tour next summer by the singer who recently secured a record-breaking stg£80m recording deal. Tickets for the Phoenix Park show will go on sale next Saturday at €59.50.