Queen will not attend annual garden parties at Buckingham Palace

The Queen will miss the royal garden party season, which begins next week, Buckingham Palace has said.

It will be the first time in three years that garden parties have been hosted. They are important events in the royal calendar and those who have served their country or communities are invited to the monarch’s home.

Instead, Her Majesty will be represented by other members of her family. The head of state, who has mobility issues, has missed a number of major events this year but has been carrying out virtual engagements and her other duties.

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Buckingham Palace said: “Her Majesty The Queen will be represented by other members of the royal family at this year’s garden parties, with details on attendance to be confirmed in due course.”

Last October, the Queen spent a night in hospital and spent the following three months under doctors’ orders to only conduct light duties and missed a number of prominent events. But she reached her Platinum Jubilee in February and overcame a bout of Covid after testing positive that month.

In March, she attended a service commemorating the life of the Duke of Edinburgh with senior royals and a congregation of hundreds. And last month, the Queen celebrated her 96th birthday privately on April 21 at her Sandringham estate.

In June, the UK will observe a four-day bank holiday weekend in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee, starting from Thursday 2 June. The long weekend will be packed with events to honour Her Majesty, including the BBC's gig Platinum Party at the Palace. George Ezra is the only artist who has been announced for the concert, with the full line-up yet to be released.

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