After a busy and successful opening of her garden ‘Back to Nature’ at Chelsea Flower Show, the Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince William joined Her Majesty the Queen at the second Garden Party of the year at Buckingham Palace in London.
Every summer, The Queen 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.
Over the course of each year, The Queen 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 Queen to speak to a broad range of people from all walks of life, all of whom have made a positive impact in their community.
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.
Last week Prince Charles of Wales hosted the first part of this year on behalf of the Queen.
On the day of the Garden Party, the Palace gates are open from around 3 pm. The Party officially begins when The Queen, accompanied by other Members of the Royal Family, enter the garden at 4 pm when the National Anthem is played by one of the two military bands present.
The royals greeting the guests.
The other members joining Queen, William and Catherine for Tuesday’s party were the Duke of York, Count and Countess of Wessex and Princess Alexandra. Today’s garden party was attended by 8000 guests.
Queen, William, Catherine and members of the royal family circulated 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. Guests are free to eat, drink and stroll around the beautiful Palace gardens.
A lovely moment was captured by a guest Kate Stafford who shared it on social media. The Duchess of Cambridge spoke in the ‘Queen at 90’ documentary about how members of the royal family make jokes of her as she takes a long time during walkabouts and public greeting.
Kate got the chance to talk to Duchess.
For the day, once again putting the trust in her beloved label Alexander McQueen, The Duchess of Cambridge chose a lovely coatdress of pink shade.
Japanese_Ginger and katiesroyallove on Twitter noted that the coat dress is a custom piece having features of the label’s Open Necked Pleated Coat and Ruffle Double Breasted Coat.
The coatdress was a typical Kate style with flap collars, buttoned bodice and pleated skirt. It was the perfect choice for a sunny day.
Catherine paired the outfit with a lovely hat from Juliette Botterill.
After two appearances wearing Castaner Wedges, Catherine was back in her trusty Gianvito Rossi’s ‘Gianvito 105’ pumps.
Catherine carried Loeffler Randall Tab clutch
and finished her look with Princess Diana’s Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings.
