Queen Elizabeth has been monarch for 67 years – but the latest Buckingham Palace garden party brought a reunion dating back to her princess days.
The 93-year-old royal reconnected with Margaret Baxter, whom she previously met during a visit to Portsmouth in the 1940s, at Wednesday’s event. The official Royal Family Twitter account even managed to dig up a photo of the duo from the first time they crossed paths – a black-and-white shot in which Baxter can be seen on the far left.
“Today Mrs Margaret Baxter (far left) was presented to Her Majesty, during which they reminisced about their first meeting, when the then Princess Elizabeth visited Portsmouth in 1940s,” the then-and-now photos were captioned on the social media site.
Despite cloudy skies (she recently confessed that weather is always a worry at these events), Queen Elizabeth brightened up the garden party in her light pink ensemble, complete with matching wide-brimmed hat. She was also prepared for the possibility of rain, walking around with an umbrella (that perfectly complemented her outfit) just in case.
And the Queen wasn’t alone – she was joined at the garden party by a number of royal family members including Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Each year, the monarch hosts up to three garden parties on the grounds of Buckingham Palace, as well as one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland. But for her first party of the season on May 15, the Queen asked son Prince Charles to step in as host – with wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and sister Princess Anne also in attendance.
The Queen made her first garden party appearance of 2019 on May 21, where she was joined by Kate Middleton and Prince William.
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Garden parties have been held at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s as a way to recognize and reward public service.
According to the palace, around 27,000 cups of tea are served and 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed during the event.
Guests also adhere to a dress code. Gentlemen wear morning dress or lounge suits, while women wear day dresses, typically accessorized with hats or fascinators.
The Holyroodhouse party will occur on July 3.
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