Buckingham Palace has disclosed that other members of the Royal Family will stand in for the Queen when the traditional garden parties return this summer.
The Queen, who is 96 and has mobility problems, cut back on several engagements in recent months.
During the traditional garden party, more than 30,000 people are usually invited each year to Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse. According to the Palace spokesman, details of which royals would attend would be confirmed and later, made public.
The Scheduling of the Events
The first garden party in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year is set to take place next Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at Buckingham Palace, with others following on May 18 and 25, 2022 respectively, as well as on June 29, 2022, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen, in Edinburgh.
Due to the pandemic, it is the first time in three years that members of the public have been invited to the Queen’s home for the garden parties. The parties are used by Buckingham Palace to recognise and reward public service, with guests nominated by a network of sponsors including Lord-Lieutenants, Government Departments, the Armed Forces and Faith Groups.
Guests are normally admitted through the palace gates at 15:00 BST, with their royal hosts arriving an hour later as the national anthem is played by a military band. The hosts circulate among their guests, and attendees are presented at random to give them an equal chance of speaking to a member of the Royal Family.
Why all the Royals Host the Traditional Garden Party
The decision for other royals to host the parties came after the Queen reached the 70th year of her reign in February 2022, and overcame a bout of COVID-19 in the same month. She celebrated her 96th birthday privately on April 21, 2022, at her Sandringham estate.
Last October (2021), the Monarch spent a night in the hospital and for three months was under doctors’ orders to only carry out light duties, leading to her absence from a number of prominent events. The Queen has been using a walking stick in public since last October (2021) when she attended a service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion.
It is not yet known if she will be able to attend the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Following will be a series of events to mark the Platinum Jubilee over an extended bank holiday weekend between 2nd and 6th June 2022. Pub opening hours will be extended to 01:00 BST and, on June 2, 2022, more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will take part in Trooping the Colour on the Queen’s official birthday, while on June 4, 2022, 10,000 members of the public will attend a concert in front of Buckingham Palace.
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