The King has granted special permission to both the Princess Royal and the Duke of Kent to host Garden Parties in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

Each year, three official Garden Parties are held – two at Buckingham Palace, and one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

However, it has been a long-standing tradition that the monarch grants special permission for additional parties to be held in aid of charities.

This year, the 75-year-old King has agreed that Princess Anne, accompanied by her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, can host the The Not Forgotten Association Annual Garden Party at the palace.

Anne, who is Patron of The Not Forgotten Association, will bring together 2,000 beneficiaries of the charity to the Buckingham Palace gardens for an afternoon of socialising.

The association is a tri-service charity which provides entertainment, leisure and recreation for ex-service men and women with disabilities or illness and serving personnel who are wounded, injured or suck.

In 2023, the Duchess of Edinburgh hosted the association at Buckingham Palace. The event has been held every year since 1921, with the monarch always agreeing to allow the party to be hosted at their official London residence.

In addition, The King has granted permission for Princess Anne and the Duke of Kent to host the RNLI 200th Anniversary Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Thursday May 23.

To mark the charity’s bi-centenary, 2,500 long serving volunteers, staff and their families will gather for the event.

The Duke of Kent has been President of the RNLI since 25th March 1969. According to Buckingham Palace, in his 55 years as President, the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews and beach lifeguards have saved more than 51,000 lives.

The Garden Party will bring together 2,500 of the charity’s long-serving volunteers, staff and their families as well as featuring an Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat.