See all the best photos from King Charles and Queen Camilla’s first garden party of 2026

There will be two extra garden parties on the calendar this year.

Fresh off their return from the United States, King Charles and Queen Camilla are hosting their first garden party of the year. Wednesday also marks another special occasion for the couple: the third anniversary of their coronation.

The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard arrive ahead of the royals. The oldest royal bodyguard unit and British military corps still in existence, it was formed in 1485 by Henry VII. (Note, they are not the same as the Yeomen Warders—a.k.a. “Beefeaters”—seen at the Tower of London, who have similar uniforms.)

Each summer, the Sovereign usually hosts an average of three garden parties at Buckingham Palace and one at Holyroodhouse in Scotland, honoring members of the public for community service. This year, the garden parties are scheduled quite close together. The next one at Buckingham Palace will be this Friday, May 8, and the third will be Tuesday, May 12. The Edinburgh fête will take place on Tuesday, June 30.

King Charles and Queen Camilla, along with Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, seen arriving.

However, this year there will be two additional, themed garden parties. The first will be on Thursday, May 14, celebrating the 50th anniversary of King Charles’s foundation, The King’s Trust. Another will follow on Tuesday, May 19 supporting The Not Forgotten, a UK charity dedicated to the physical and mental health of military veterans and service members.

Queen Camilla was wearing the Diamond and Moonstone brooch. The luminous piece is assumed to be part of her private collection, estimated to be worth more than $40,000. She’s worn it several times over the last few years, including at Royal Ascot in 2022 and during the South African state visit that same year.

More than 30,000 people are invited to the garden parties collectively each summer. It’s estimated that at each event, guests consume about 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches, and 20,000 slices of cake. Guests are nominated by a national network of sponsors, and invitations cannot be requested directly. The parties begin with the royal family’s arrival and the national anthem, followed by more music and informal meetings with guests. Guests are then invited to enjoy tea and explore the palace gardens.

Queen Camilla also reached into her closet for a familiar look: a pale blue Fiona Clare coat dress and matching hat she previously wore for Easter Sunday in 2025. This is not the first garden party that the Queen has arrived in this look; she wore the same dress for the Holyroodhouse garden party in 2024, that time with the Diamond Thistle Brooch. She wore the dress previously to the York Racecourse in 2024 and 2025 as well.

There is a special dress code for palace garden parties, but it’s a bit more casual as far as royal events go. Men typically wear morning dress or suits, and women wear day dresses with hats or fascinators. National dress and uniforms are also common. Below, see some of the best photos from the first royal garden party of the season:

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There was also at least one canine guest. King Charles was given a warm greeting by Vegas, a service animal trained by the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

While it was overcast in London on Wednesday, it did not appear to rain. However, the royals, as always, were prepared with umbrellas.

The King also spoke with past winners of the King's Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS).

Princess Anne, the queen of the rewear, arrived in the exact same outfit she wore for the opening day of Royal Ascot in 2018.

Several senior working royals were in attendance. Among them was Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester also had a bright floral hat she previously wore to Royal Ascot last summer. It was created by one of the King's Foundation's millinery students, Barnaby Horn, who won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the charity's annual awards ceremony last year.

Prince Edward looked dapper in his morning suit and top hat.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh looked ready for spring in a coral pink dress with a lattice straw disc hat by Philip Treacy. The Duchess previously wore this topper to Garter Day in 2019.

Princess Anne switched locations quickly. Wearing one of her favorite vintage coats for the occasion, she was representing her brother at a special ceremony in London’s Hyde Park with the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The Princess Royal serves as a Counsellor of State for King Charles, one of a small group of senior royals authorized to act on the monarch’s behalf when he is absent.

Some of the guests appearing to react to something funny while chatting with Queen Camilla.

King Charles spoke with Barbara Keel, a guest who started the Barby Keel Animal Sanctuary in East Sussex, England in 1979. The sanctuary is now home to more than 600 cats, dogs, chickens, pigs, and goats. “It was a bit of a shock because I wasn’t expecting it,” she told BBC News about receiving the invite, adding she was there on behalf of her volunteer staff and the animals. “I’m here doing a job that I love doing and wouldn’t have it any different."

A much more informal environment, members of the royal family circulate throughout the grounds and mingle with the guests.

King Charles greeted guests at the party.