The Prince of Wales was joined by his cousins, as he hosted a garden party at a wet Buckingham Palace today.
William hosted the event on behalf of his father, The King, who had much better luck weather-wise for the ones he has hosted so far this year, including last week.
While Charles has returned to public facing duties, he is arguably using his energy wisely.
Around 8,000 invited guests – who have been nominated by sponsors such as charity groups, government departments and the military – began to arrive at the Palace from 3pm, to enjoy afternoon tea in the gardens, prepared in the palace kitchens.
An hour later, the royal party – made up of The Prince of Wales, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara and Mike Tindall, and Peter Phillips, along with The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, – made their way out onto the terrace and then into the crowd of umbrellas.
Zara opted for a white dress with pink accessories, with Princess Eugenie in a similar shade. Beatrice made a statement in fuchsia, while the men looked dapper in their top hats and tails.
While unusual to see these non-working Royals at such an occasion, it is thought we might see more of them at less formal events such as this – in particular, Princess Beatrice.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images
In order to speak with as many of the guests as possible, each Royal had their own route mapped out. Throughout the event, Prince William met with guests from a number of the organisations with which he and The Princess of Wales are affiliated.
He shared his umbrella with Duchy of Cornwall tenants before receiving a book from Rowan Aderyn, part of the Homewards team in Newport. The book, named after William’s latest project, follows a boy named Jack who finds himself without a home.
The author explained to William that there are only 10 copies of the book, as he gave him one. William told Rowan:’I’ll read this to Louis tonight at bedtime’.
Prince William at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party, chatting to guests
But that was not the last of the gifts, with the future King also receiving some cookies from Squadron Leader Chrissie Lacey, who regularly gets up early to bake for the RAF base she is stationed at.
The Prince, who knew of the Squadron Leaders early rises, asked her if she had been up at 5am before he was given the gift. He then replied, ‘I promise you that wasn’t a fishing expedition but I will take them all the same, this is amazing’.
So while the weather may have been dismal, the atmosphere was anything but. William happily took his leave with his gifts, and the Wales children were no doubt happy to receive them later on.
