Royal Garden Parties
Each summer HM The King and Members of the Royal Family normally host three garden parties at Buckingham Palace, where people from all walks of life who have contributed to their local community are invited. Those who are invited get a chance to see something of the Palace and its beautiful grounds in the presence of the Royal Family; have the chance to mingle with the other distinguished and interesting guests; and enjoy a delicious afternoon tea.
At a typical Garden Party, around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed by the 8,000 or so guests. Members of the Corps of Gentlemen Ushers select random individuals for presentation to those Members of the Royal Family in attendance. The dress code is morning dress or lounge suits for gentlemen and day dress or trouser suits (usually with hats or fascinators) for ladies. National dress and uniform are also often worn. Attendance is a once in a lifetime special occasion for guests.
The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London can recommend a small number of individuals from across the city, who have voluntarily given their time, contributed to their local community or gone above and beyond in their place of work, to attend one of the Parties. You can nominate someone for the Lord-Lieutenant’s consideration by sending their contact details, including their home and email addresses, and a short citation explaining why they should receive an invitation to: info@greaterlondonlieutenancy.com.
A nominee can take one guest, of their choosing, to accompany them, but the guest has to be over the age of 18. Nominees must be British, Commonwealth or European Union citizens with pre-settled or settled status, although their accompanying guest may be of other nationalities. All guests, nominated or otherwise, must be resident in the United Kingdom.
Please note that the person nominated must not be made aware of their nomination. It would be appropriate and if possible preferred if nominations were not made by immediate family members. It is expected that people will only attend a Royal Garden Party once in their lifetime, this includes attending as someone’s guest. Therefore, please do not nominate someone who you are aware have previously attended.
Unfortunately, not everyone nominated will be able to receive an invitation, as we only receive a small allocation of places.
Nominations should be submitted by the end of October for consideration to the Royal Garden Parties taking place in the summer of the following year. Any nominations received after October may not be considered until the end of the following year.
Those who are successfully allocated a place will initially receive a letter from the Lieutenancy Office in January/February. The Office then collates all the information and sends on to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office at the Palace. The official Garden Party invitations are then sent directly from Lord Chamberlain’s Office, who make all the arrangements approximately six weeks prior to the Garden Party.
It is important to note that due to confidentially the Lieutenancy Office will not be able to confirm any further details about the nomination you make after it has been submitted, but may need to contact you on behalf of the Lord-Lieutenant or the Palace for more details.
If you would like to find out more about the Royal Garden Parties, please visit: https://www.royal.uk/garden-parties.