The Princess of Wales is attending her first Buckingham Palace Garden Party since her cancer diagnosis, as she is joined by her husband, the Prince of Wales and younger members of the Firm. Zara Tindall, Princess Eugenie and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also joined the royal couple as they stepped out to greet the guests gathered on the immaculate lawns.

Kate is wearing a beautiful spring yellow dress by Emilia Wickstead and a hat by Philip Treacy, while the Duchess of Edinburgh is wearing a dress by Beulah and a hat by Jane Taylor. It’s a repeat of last year’s attendance, minus the torrential downpours, where William’s cousins rallied round the heir to the throne as he led the annual event weeks after it was revealed that his wife had started chemotherapy.

Thousands of guests were met with beaming sunshine as they gathered in the beautiful grounds of Buckingham Palace, having been invited to reward their contributions to society and the community.

Key people invited yesterday included the family of Liz Hatton, the 17-year-old photographer who died from cancer and was praised by the Prince and Princess of Wales as a “brave and humble young woman”.

Kate and William will speak with her mother, Vicky, Aaron her stepfather and her younger brother, Mateo.

The family recently created a charity called Capture in Liz’s honour to support those with desmoplastic small round cell tumours.

Another notable person is Steven Frank, a Holocaust survivor who the princess photographed in 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust.

Guests began to file in from 3pm to enjoy a selection of cakes and sandwiches with their tea in the palace grounds as the sunshine attempted to make an appearance.

Up to 8,000 guests attend each Garden Party, drinking on average more than 27,000 cups of tea and tucking into 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 cakes.

Guests come from all walks of life, with many wearing uniform or national dress instead of suits and dresses.