Duchess of Cambridge steps into the Queen’s shoes at palace garden party

The Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princess Alexandra led the royal charge at Wednesday's Buckingham Palace garden party.

The parties, a staple of the royal calendar, have been resurrected this year after a three-year hiatus.

Some 8,000 guests mingled in the spring sunshine as they enjoyed afternoon tea in the 39-acre garden.

As is tradition, the members of the Royal family emerged from the palace at 4pm, all eyes upon them as the national anthem was played.

Princess Alexandra, 85, opted to hang back, walking into the garden after the anthem before they fanned out into the gardens to meet queuing attendees arranged into "lanes".

Prince Edward, as the most senior in the line of succession and therefore official host, led the way.

The Duchess, who wore a pink dress by Emilia Wickstead and a hat by Jane Taylor, was met with cheers of delight as she bent down to greet guests in wheelchairs from an inclusive acting company called Act Up! Newham.

Awa Jagne, 23, said: "We love Kate, this is the best day ever. She said 'You look nice' and we told her we loved her dress."

The Duchess also chatted with Peggy Knight, 92, from Newport, who was in a wheelchair and has dementia.

Her daughter Pauline Herard, whose twin brothers had been awarded medals for services to cricket, said: "She’s been in bed all week and we didn’t think she’d make it but she was so keen to come.

"The Duchess asked if we were having a lovely day and if we’d managed to look around the garden. She was lovely."

The Duchess also met representatives from charities including the Foundling Museum, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Forward Trust, which merged with Action on Addiction last May.

Caro Howell, director of the Foundling Museum, said: "She is remarkable.

"She meets so many people and has such an acute memory. She met young adults on our training programme who grew up in care in January and asked after them all.

"Her concern is in this intersection between care, homelessness and mental health and she understands the challenges for these young people expected to go out into the world at 18 with no support.

"It’s not just care she has, it’s an active intelligent empathy."

Meanwhile, the Earl met representatives from Northern Ballet and the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, and the Countess met representatives from the London College of Fashion, Women in Business, and Meningitis Now.

Aside from the royal hosts, the main topic of conversation among guests appeared to be how lucky they had been with the weather, not least after last week’s guests proved not so fortunate.

Wednesday's event was the second of three in London celebrating the Platinum Jubilee. A fourth will take place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, on June 29.

Before the pandemic, the events were largely hosted by the Queen, with the Duke of Edinburgh by her side until his retirement.

Buckingham Palace confirmed earlier this month that the monarch would not be undertaking hosting duties this year, but would instead be represented by other members of her family.

The events require the royals to be on their feet for a considerable time, which could prove problematic for the monarch, who has been suffering from "episodic mobility problems" since last autumn.

In recent years, the Prince of Wales has hosted some parties on behalf of his mother, and did so last week alongside the Duchess of Cornwall.