Royal Garden Parties

Every year His Majesty The King gives Royal Garden Parties and welcomes many guests to spend a relaxed afternoon in the beautiful gardens of Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse. At each Garden Party, around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed! Garden Parties are an important way for The King to speak to a broad range of people from all walks of life, all of whom have made a positive impact in their community.

In Bedfordshire anyone can nominate guests for invitation from a cross section of the community to receive an invitation and the Lieutenancy office coordinates this process. It is not possible to acquire invitations to The King's Garden Parties through direct application to Buckingham Palace.

If you feel that someone in Bedfordshire has made a major contribution to life in the community, or has provided exceptional service in any other way, you could recommend that they are invited to this special event. To nominate someone for a garden party invitation, please contact the Lieutenancy office here with the individual's details including title, name, address, contact number and, most importantly, include a detailed description of why you consider that the person you are nominating is deserving of an invitation.

Although you can nominate someone at any time throughout the year, the names are gathered at the beginning of January when consideration is given to those which should go forward to the Palace. If your nomination is unsuccessful in this first year, we will keep that nomination for a further year unless you tell us otherwise.  

If you have been invited to a Royal Garden Party and would like some guidance on what to expect and what to wear, take a look at the Royal Website where you can find out more.