Prince William led the royals braving wet and windy conditions today as community stalwarts were welcomed to a soggy Buckingham Palace garden party. The Prince of Wales was joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester to represent the King for the third gathering of the year at royal HQ.
As they emerged on the palace steps overlooking the rear gardens, the royals were met with a sea of umbrellas as they stood to listen to the national anthem. Around 8,000 guests were invited to celebrate the work of volunteers, military personnel and members of the public.
During the garden party, William met guests from a number of both the Prince and Princess of Wales' patronages, military affiliations and so-called 'passion projects', including his project to combat homelessness in the UK, Homewards, RAF Valley where he served as a search and rescue pilot from 2010 to 2013, Swim England, as well as tenants across Duchy of Cornwall sites.
Royal aides said William personally invited the other 'young members' of the royal family to accompany him for the day, including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara and Mike Tindall, and Peter Phillips. King Charles and Queen Camilla, who hosted the first two garden parties this year, did not attend today's event. The King, 75, is continuing weekly cancer treatment in London and will return to duties later this week.
The Prince of Wales last hosted a garden party to celebrate community heroes last May, alongside his wife the Princess of Wales and the Princess Royal. Kate, 42, has since last month taken a leave of absence from royal duties when she revealed in a public statement that she had been diagnosed with cancer. The Princess is undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment and will not return to duties for the foreseeable future.
Earlier, Kate was credited as the 'driving force' behind a new report that could boost the UK economy by £45.5 billion a year. The princess has been following the work of chief executives she convened last year as part of a Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood to galvanise business action on the importance of the formative years of a child's development. Kensington Palace stressed that the launch of the report did not signal the princess 'returning to work'.
