A staple in the London summer season calendar is the Buckingham Palace garden parties. Every May, when the weather is reasonably nice, Buckingham Palace opens the gates and welcomes hundreds of visitors from around the United Kingdom, dressed in their fineries, to enjoy tea and cake at the palace—and hopefully meet a royal or two. As King Charles hosted the first garden party of 2026, former royal gardener Jack Stooks shared his memories—and a top tip—from those iconic afternoons in the Buckingham Palace gardens. “It’s a really lovely thing to be invited to and to experience,” the former royal gardener shared.
King Charles greets guests at the first garden party of 2026.
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A view of Buckingham Palace and the gardens.
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“The Buckingham Palace garden parties are always a really nice occasion,” Stooks told Heart Bingo Online. “It’s massively exciting for anybody going. All the roses are just starting to come out during the garden parties, which is really nice.” Guests are welcomed through the palace’s entrance, and walk through the historic palace halls and out large glass doors onto a veranda overlooking the gardens. Once all the guests are through airport-style security and settled on the green lawns, the royals can make their entrance.
“A big marquee is usually put up and that’s where all the teas, coffees, cakes and sandwiches are served,” Stooks shared, revealing his top tip to guests: “I would always suggest going straight to the tent, getting a tea, coffee or sandwich, because there’s not a massive buildup of people at that point.” During the initial excitement, many people try to secure their spot for royal-watching.
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Guests form lines in the hopes of meeting a royal.
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King Charles III and Queen Camilla, along with Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.
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“What tends to happen is people go to the garden parties and they start to form a long waiting line to see the royals,” Stooks revealed. “People will queue up to wait for the Royal Family to come out and then as soon as the family walk down, everyone then rushes to the tea tent.”
King Charles hosted the first garden party of 2026 with Queen Camilla and his siblings Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, and Prince Edward alongside him. There are several more garden parties scheduled over the next few weeks, with other royals—including the Prince and Princess of Wales—expected to attend.