Over the course of each year, The King welcomes over 30,000 guests to spend a relaxed summer afternoon in the beautiful gardens of Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse. At each Garden Party, around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed! Garden Parties are an important way for The King to speak to a broad range of people from all walks of life, all of whom have made a positive impact in their community.
Who is invited to a Garden Party?
Every summer, The King hosts three Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace, and one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland. Historically, Garden Parties took the place of presentation parties attended by debutantes, and have evolved into a way of recognising and rewarding public service.
Throughout the country, a long established network of sponsors is used to invite guests, who include Lord-Lieutenants, Societies and Associations, Government Departments, Local Government, the Services, the Church and other Faiths. They nominate guests for invitation and the hope is to achieve a representative cross section of the community. It is not possible to acquire invitations to The King’s Garden Parties through direct application to Buckingham Palace.
What happens at a Garden Party?
On the day of the Garden Party, the Palace gates are open from around 3pm. The Party officially begins when The King, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family, enter the garden at 4pm, when the National Anthem is played by one of the two military bands present.
While the bands continue to play a selection of music, The King and Queen Consort circulate among the guests through ‘lanes’. Each takes a different route and random presentations are made so that everyone has an equal chance of speaking to Her Majesty and other Members of the Royal Family. The Queen then arrives at the Royal Tea Tent, where she meets further guests. Guests are free to eat, drink and stroll around the beautiful Palace gardens.
What to Wear
For a Garden Party, gentlemen wear morning dress or lounge suits, while women wear day dress, usually with hats or fascinators. National dress and uniform are also often worn.
Stirling and Falkirk Lieutenancy 