Overview

Every summer garden parties are held at Buckingham Palace and attended by members of the Royal Family.

Over 30,000 guests attend a Royal Garden Party each year.  They take place between 3pm and 6pm. Members of The Royal Family arrive at 4pm. Each member of the Royal Family takes a different route or position in the garden and members of the Corps of Gentlemen Ushers select random individuals for presentation.

For a Garden Party, gentlemen wear morning dress or lounge suits, while women wear day dress, usually with hats or fascinators. National dress and uniform are also often worn.

Who gets invited to Royal garden parties?

If you feel that someone in Somerset 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. Lord-Lieutenants, together with government departments, the Civil Service, Armed Services, charities and societies, are invited to make nominations, thereby achieving a representative cross-section of the community. To nominate someone for a garden party invitation, please contact the Lord-Lieutenant’s Office.

Invitations

It is not possible to acquire invitations to a Royal Garden Party through direct application to Buckingham Palace.

You can find more information on Royal Garden Parties on the relevant page of the Royal Website.