Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Although Buckingham Palace’s 2024 Garden Parties have officially come to an end, Queen Camilla hosted a small but special extra celebration week.
Nine-year-old Tony Hudgell was unable to attend The King’s Garden Party in May after he and his family got stuck in traffic on the M20. The Queen wanted to make sure that he was able to enjoy tea and organised a private tea for him and his family.
Tony is a double leg-amputee who had to have both of his legs amputated after suffering severe child abuse. He was adopted by Mark and Paul Hudgell, and together their family have campaigned to raise money for the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, the hospital where Tony stayed after he was removed from his birth parents.
In June 2020, he walked ten kilometres on his prosthetic legs and raised £1.8 million for the hospital.
The meeting this week was particularly important for Hudgell, as he received his British Empire Medal for services to the prevention of child abuse.
Eleven-year-old brain tumour patient Lyla O’Donovan also attended the private tea party this week. She was ill and unable to attend a Garden Party earlier in the spring but enjoyed meeting The Queen this week privately.
In addition to the regular tea, sandwiches, biscuits, and cakes, the pair got a special surprise when The Queen took them on carriage ride around the grounds of Buckingham Palace.