Whoa, this year’s “garden party season” started really early. In Queen Elizabeth’s later years, she didn’t start hosting garden parties at Buckingham Palace until late May. But here’s King Charles, making a point of hosting his first garden party of the season on May 6th, the anniversary of his coronation. That’s the real reason why garden-party season was pulled up, he wanted to mark his coronation day in some way. Of course, he also chose his coronation date knowing that it was his youngest grandson’s birthday.
I’m including photos from Wednesday’s palace garden party, which was apparently pretty damp. The photographers made sure to only take photos while the sun was briefly shining. Princess Anne attended, as did the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (Edward and Sophie). Sophie is looking pretty grim these days, but so is Camilla. The Prince and Princess of Wales did not attend, because of course not. Kate was busy jazz-handing her way through an Early Years appearance, and William was… *tumbleweed slowly drifts by*. Wednesday’s garden party was full of winners of the King’s Award for Voluntary Service and/or first responders, paramedics and the like. Incidentally, the garden party schedule is as follows: BP parties on May 8, 12th, 14th and 19th, with the final garden party of the season set for June 30 at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Charles will surely order Wig and Peggy to “host” or attend one of them.
As for the coordination on Prince Archie’s birthday, at least one royalist was dusted off to huff and puff about how Charles is “full of regrets over the whole situation, he definitely wouldn’t have wanted it to go this way…[he’s] spoken about how much he enjoys being a grandparent.” I don’t think Charles regrets a thing, and that’s the bigger problem. He acts as if the sand is shifting beneath his feet but he’s the literal king and he could prioritize his relationships with his sons and grandchildren at any time. He refuses to do so.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- (left to right) King Charles III, the Princess Royal, Queen Camilla and the Duke of Edinburgh stand at the top of the Garden steps before the start of a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939059, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- (left to right) King Charles III, the Princess Royal, Queen Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh stand at the top of the Garden steps before the start of a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939067, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- King Charles III (centre) talks to guests during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939138, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Queen Camilla (right) talks to guests during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939240, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- The Princess Royal speaks to guests during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939283, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- The Duchess of Edinburgh speaks to guests during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939293, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- King Charles III (centre) talks to winners of the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939346, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- King Charles III stands at the top of the Garden steps before the start of a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939441, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles III and Britain’s Queen Camilla attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, in London, on May 6, 2026.,Image: 1096939543, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: BEN STANSALL/Avalon
Those awful hats.
I like Princess Anne’s coat, nice simple design.
I did too, I think often she wears colors that aren’t great on her or too many patterns or something. But that’s a nice look for this.
What’s going on with Sophie? What an awful look
Isn’t ! That is Kate fake smile look.
No wonder Sophie looks miserable , fancy having that stupid thing on your head , knowing you look like an idiot .
Walking around in heels on wet grass would do that to me.
I think she looks her normal bland self. She has never worn anything that I have coveted.
But but but … Eddie looks as if he has just removed that brolly from you- know -where. What a mess. Is that why Sophie is standing so far away from him? What is going on there?
She’s a married in. Apparently, she’s learnt to ‘know her place’. This way, the picture can be cropped to have just the blood family….and the bloody, unqueenly woman Charlie married.
Can you imagine having to pose for photos according to rank? In your own family?!
I agree completely with Kaiser’s comment that Chuckles acts like he has no power to change things for the better. He’s always been like that and now he’s a literal king and he acts like he has no agency and things are just happening to him. Such a coward. It also makes me wonder why he’s so afraid of Scooter’s reaction.
Also? Wigs and Peggy? 🫠😂😭
Oh I am so jealous , they look to be having such a blast .🤣
Is it just me or do they all seem really stressed out and are trying too hard to fake it for the cameras. Sophie especially seems very stressed.
Also, the fact Sophie is so distant from Edward in that one photo. That looks awkward. I’ve always wondered what their marriage is like. Especially given the rumors about Edward’s sexuality. I still think out of the entire bunch Edward would actually make a better king than the Prince of Pegs. Speaking of…where is he in all of this? Lord knows Kate wouldn’t be bothered to show up but I’m surprised Pegs is nowhere to be seen.
@K8erade. Sophie looks old & tired along with stressed out. Ozempic face?
Racist hate is rapidly aging all these bishes.
Why isn’t William doing his duty? He doesn’t have the excuse of an upcoming trip to Italy like Wigdoll to dip on this event.
Instead of carping about the Sussexes the tabs need to start firing back about Billy the Failson.
@FWIW, It does look like Ozempic face! I will say that’s a pretty color dress on Sophie, but unfortunately it is not her color.
Who is “royal expert Duncan Larcombe” and is he the only one they could find to even say as much as he “believes” Charles has regrets? It’s like the media wants to push a “Charles is not a heartless monster” narrative, but they’re not getting any help from the big-name royal experts or Charles himself.
If memory serves me correctly, he is one of the liars who commented “authoritatively” on the contents of the Oprah interview several days before it had been aired, focussing all of his ire on M, including expressing his indignation that she would be opening a donkey sanctuary somewhere (in London, I believe).
Ok, that’s funny about the donkey sanctuary. And thanks to the rest of you too.
No, Larcombe wasn’t one of that motley crew. They were Richard Fitzwilliams, both Arbiters (father and daughter) and I believe Ingrid Seward. That the four of them were led on to seriously discuss the donkey sanctuary by the two guys who paid them to “pre-review” the Oprah interview, is true.
He actually is relatively well known, I think he tends to be more of a book writer than a TV talking head in general. He does some TV appearances, but he’s not like Richard Eden or someone.
(that doesnt mean he’s credible).
He is the former Royal editor for the Sun. He spent most of the mid to late 2000s stalking the boys skiing and on vacation and going out to the same clubs and bars. He was arrested in a Levinson adjacent bribery probe for paying off an army officer at Sandhurst for stories about William and Harry. Given the timeframe during which he was the Sun editor he also undoubtedly knew about the phone hacking and blagging and use that illegally obtained information. All of which he strenuously denied and called fanciful and delusional until of course the court found that to be true.
Those parties don’t even aim to raise funds but only to award loyal royalists.
It’s wild to me that William and Kate can just not come to these things. This is their job. At least this is how they try to sell horse races and garden parties, to explain their unearned privilege. That hosting these parties, attending these memorial events and services is their sworn duty. It’s also why they’re so upset with other people for doing service and philanthropy because it’s supposed to be “royal”. And they just don’t come.
William didn’t do anything for Anzac Day or VJ day either. How can you have a job where you just don’t show up for major events all the time? Can you imagine any other company where Senior leadership frequently doesn’t go to conferences, or quarterly meetings, or annual gala’s, and people are just like, oh I’m sure they had to drive their kids to school. It’s wild.
I think they usually do one garden party a year, mayyyybe two. They should be at most of them, if not all.
Anne’s husband is MIA again.
Anne’s husband might have come to the conclusion as non working royal he shouldn’t do more than the heir.
Sophie looks like she ate some gummies before the garden party especially in that one photo lol.
If Sophie ate some gummies, would anyone ever notice?
Gummies, bong hits, a smack in the head. Whatever it takes to get through the dreary event.
I’m sure they think they’re doing the public a favor by having these parties which is an arrogant way to approach it.
A druid I follow online was an invitee.
That’s such a wonderful, random statement!
Charles has no regrets. He didn’t want Harry to marry Meghan and he has no interest in their children.
Evicting the Sussex’s and pulling the security proved he didn’t care at all even if the worst happened he is ok with that, because he is still denying them the security to travel to the UK. Also a grandfather who that chooses his coronation date to overshadow his youngest grandsons birthday is different breed of mentally ill imo.
Anne married her first husband (televised big affair) at Charles’s birthday. This specific mental illness runs in the family.
Yeah I’m still not over the fact that Charles planned his coronation on Archie’s birthday. GMAFB. And then the frogmore eviction. So nah, Charles hasn’t seen the sussex kids bc he doesn’t care or even want to. So anytime the press does a poor grampa Charles bit, I roll my eyes hard.
I don’t think he cares much about the Wales children either. I don’t see him playing with them. She doesn’t have a paternal bone in his body. As for the Sussex children, I think he sees them as “tainted” because they have some black genes. No wonder these stories that the children don’t exist and are “rented” from the mentally ill derangers.
Why is Sophie standing so far away from the group? Maybe she’s over the whole thing too? As far as Keen and Pegs not coming, she had to cosplay Meghan, I’m sure that took a lot out of her. She probably used up all of “her speaking to people in public” energy the poor marshmallow. Maybe its gardening season for Pegs?
Yeah idk. Visually, there is space between her and Edward. A lot of space. She was “under the weather” and didn’t attend the Easter service . They weren’t sent to or didn’t go to that European royal birthday party when normally they would be the ones to go. So yeah, idk what’s up but maybe something?
Regarding Sophie, it looks to me like her right hand is clenched as well. She really looks uncomfortable.
It’s quite sad that Charles literally has no “family.” He is being supported by his aging siblings, minus one, his mother’s “family.” However, can’t feel sorry for someone who indicates that he doesn’t care if his younger son and family live or die. His older son despises him, and he will leave a failed heir behind him. No son to support him.
Many men kind of ignore their kids from a first marriage when they remarry. Women rarely do that. William and Harry remind him of Diana. I don’t think Archie and Lili are missing anything. He would be all formal with them, not hugging or enjoying their company.
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Duke of Gloucester is advertising for someone so he has no plans to retire at 81. Must be galling for all the senior working royals to know Will is going to be a lazy and tight fisted King whilst they’re still expected to carry on forever covering for an ungrateful twerp.
Wow the pay is terrible: £30K – £32K, and you have to live in or near London. I was thinking you’d get an apartment to justify that salary, but no, even if the job seems like a glorified flight booker and invitation-handler to a less important royal. But cheer up, the ad says you get to eat lunch in the employee cafeteria, and you get 20% off in the gift shops!
(Also, there’s a weird semi-colon, and they mispelled “fueled,” and those are just the things I scanned.)
I guess with that salary you’re supposed to pay rent and buy food with your ‘proximity to the royal family’. Who needs actual money when you can tell the landlord that you work for ‘Their Royal Highnesses’? Then again, the royal family may actually be your landlord…
I rather liked the ‘about you’ section but there was no ‘about us’ section. Couldn’t even include a mission statement? Company ethos?
They’re total misers. Willy and Chuck get many millions per year. And free stuff everywhere. That’s how their ancestors threatened their serfs centuries ago.
The left-behinds are looking particularly dusty and musty today. Sheesh. I hope at least the food is good to compensate for the lack of charming company.
And yeah, Charles is the Edith Piaf of fathers (Non, je ne regrette rien).
Is this garden party supposed to be the anti- Met Gala? Instead of trying to look stylish and creative, attendees do their best to don their frumpiest and most dowdy attire!
The Garden Parties are a reward for charity volunteers, service people as firefighters and nurses. For all their,mostly unpaid, work they are rewarded with an invitation and, when they are lucky, are allowed to curtsy/bow to the King! Imagine, the honor! Sadly, most truly feel honored instead of asking “how much of your millions did you donate to the charity I volunteer for”?
When I say the attendees I’m thinking of the royals, Charles and his ilk – not the regular folks that feel honored to get an invitation. You would expect the “working royals” to ‘work’ at bringing a little bit of style and panache to these events that they ‘work’ so hard at attending. They can certainly afford it. The regular folks are just happy to get dolled up in ‘fancy dress’.
British people are taught to adore and revere that very mediocre family since childhood. It’s royal this, royal that. Hospitals, pubs, almost everything has the name Royal in it. Schoolchildren get the brainwash early. They all get sentimental about it and super defensive if you point out none of them have any particular talent, are doctors or engineers or scientists or artists. They’re figurines (and quite unsightly. If they were regular people in the street, no one would even look at them. It’s a centuries old farse, and the English think it’s tradition and that they represent them. We all know who were the first self entitled kings: land robbers, pillagers, and murderers.
I noticed the royal instagram page had lots of video clips from this event in their slideshow. Can anyone remember when it switched from still photos to videos? It feels recent and very Sussex inspired.
That group photo is grim, omg.
I just had a little daydream ~ imagining I was at the party. Hidden in the crowd, I would use the ridiculously loud voice I was gifted, and start singing Happy Birthday Dear Archie.
Do you think anyone there would join in?
I was hoping someone in the small crowds while Charlie was in DC or NYC yelled: “why don’t you see your Sussex grandchildren”? I know I would if I had bothered.
Why is Sophie standing in Northern Ireland? Does she have cooties, Covid or something?
Charles‘s choice for his coronation date means that all its anniversaries will be overshadowed by Archie‘s birthday. Ah, well.
I hope Archie doesn’t give a damn. What grandfather?
I must say, he looks really well!!! 🤷🏻♀️
I really like Princess Anne’s look for change, really lovely. Were are Prince and Princess of Wales?