{"id":942107,"date":"2026-05-06T18:39:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/942107\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T18:39:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:39:29","slug":"king-charles-and-queen-camilla-celebrate-special-date-by-hosting-first-garden-party-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/942107\/","title":{"rendered":"King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrate special date by hosting first garden party of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed guests to Buckingham Palace this afternoon for the season’s inaugural garden party, an occasion that coincided with the third anniversary of the monarch’s coronation.<\/p>\n

His Majesty, recently returned from a successful state visit to the United States and Bermuda, led proceedings alongside several senior members of the Royal Family.<\/p>\n

Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester joined the King and Queen for the afternoon gathering.<\/p>\n

The royal party assembled at the top of the palace steps before making their way down to mingle with the assembled guests in the famous gardens.<\/p>\n

The gathering paid tribute to frontline workers from across the UK, recognising those who serve through voluntary efforts, emergency services, and charitable endeavours.<\/p>\n

Among those the King spoke with was Barbara Keel, who established the Barby Keel Animal Sanctuary in East Sussex, an organisation dedicated to providing refuge for rejected animals.<\/p>\n

His Majesty also received a thoughtful gift during his conversations with guests.<\/p>\n

A representative from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds presented the monarch with a carved swift figurine, crafted by a member of the Brownie group.<\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

King Charles | Source: PA<\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

King Charles | Source: PA<\/p>\n

Queen Camilla appeared to delight her guests, sharing moments of laughter throughout the afternoon.<\/p>\n

The King cut a distinguished figure in a black suit complemented by a top hat, while his blue tie and pocket square synchronised elegantly with the Queen’s attire.<\/p>\n

Queen Camilla selected a pale blue Fiona Clare coat dress paired with a wide-brimmed hat, accessorised with her Diamond and Moonstone brooch from her private collection.<\/p>\n

The royals were treated by a visit from hearing dog Vegas, trained by the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People charity, who embraced the King and Queen, along with the Princess Royal with a spaniel’s traditional warmth and excitement.<\/p>\n

\"Queen<\/p>\n

Queen Camilla | Source: GETTY<\/p>\n

\"Princess<\/p>\n

Princess Royal | Source: PA<\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

King Charles | Source: PA<\/p>\n

Princess Anne opted for one of her favourite vintage coats, while Sophie chose a coral pink dress with a Philip Treacy lattice straw hat.<\/p>\n

Overcast conditions prompted the royals to carry umbrellas, though thankfully, the rain held off.<\/p>\n

Garden parties represent a cherished royal tradition stretching back to the 1860s, established as a means for the monarch to express gratitude for public service and community contributions.<\/p>\n

\"Buckingham<\/p>\n

Buckingham Palace harden party | Source: GETTY<\/p>\n

More than 30,000 individuals receive invitations to these gatherings across the spring and summer months each year.<\/p>\n

Two further Buckingham Palace garden parties are scheduled for May 8 and May 12, with an additional event at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland on June 30.<\/p>\n

This year also features two special themed occasions: a celebration marking The King’s Trust’s 50th anniversary on May 14, followed by The Not Forgotten Association’s annual gathering on May 19, supporting military veterans’ wellbeing.<\/p>\n

Our Standards: <\/strong>The GB News Editorial Charter<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed guests to Buckingham Palace this afternoon for the season’s inaugural garden party,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":942108,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[263145,2633,1760,5118,2607,5105,7710,519,448,11398],"class_list":{"0":"post-942107","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-barbara-keel","9":"tag-buckingham-palace","10":"tag-king-charles","11":"tag-princess-anne","12":"tag-queen-camilla","13":"tag-royal","14":"tag-royal-families","15":"tag-royal-family","16":"tag-royals","17":"tag-sophie-duchess-of-edinburgh"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116529095542620206","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=942107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/942108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=942107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=942107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=942107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}