Colin and Dawn Hampton attended Buckingham Palace on 8 May 2024 and have shared these images and notes from a memorable day.
It was a privilege to be selected by NALC, together with my wife, to attend the first Buckingham Palace Garden Party of 2024 and we were even more excited to hear that it would be attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The day was blessed by wonderfully warm, sunny weather and our train journey from Dorchester went ahead almost as planned despite the industrial action. After a delicious lunch at a small Italian restaurant close by the palace we joined what appeared to be a daunting queue to enter the palace grounds, but the smooth security operation meant we were soon inside crunching across the fine gravelled courtyard entrance more accustomed to marching boots and horses hooves. Entering the gardens exposed the grand scale of the event with two huge marquees on a vast lawn, two military bands seated either side of the lawn providing entertainment and hundreds of chairs just waiting to be occupied, many under the welcoming shade of vast broadleaf trees. Patience was required to obtain our teas but it was an opportunity to chat with the many interesting guests from a variety of backgrounds. Needless to say the tea was delicious.
The national Anthem announced the arrival of the King and Queen who wasted no time in starting their separate walkabouts, meeting selected guests personally but also chatting to people lining their routes as they walked by. We were lucky enough to get very close to both King Charles and Queen Camilla but not enough to exchange pleasantries. The Beefeaters provided quite a spectacle as they paraded, forming and reforming to fulfil their traditional role of Monarch’s bodyguard during the walkabout.
We also took the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely stroll in the sunshine around the beautiful Palace Garden complete with lake, which covers a surprisingly large and very secluded area behind the Palace. For the most part you have to keep reminding yourself you are in central London, it is so peaceful.
Our final glimpse of the Royal party, which included Princess Anne and Zara Tindall, was as they left the Garden Party. We were surprised how healthy the King looked considering his recent diagnosis and the fact that he was able to maintain a cheery presence throughout the event.
After leaving the palace we ended our visit by enjoying a leisurely stroll alongside St. James’s Park, through Westminster where the newly refurbished Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben looked magnificent in the evening sunshine and across the Thames via Westminster Bridge to Waterloo station for our slightly delayed return to Dorchester.
A day to remember!
Colin & Dawn Hampton
