RING ring….
Ring ring….
“Hello … yes I enjoy gardens…. yes I enjoy the occasional cup of tea… of course I’ve been to Buckingham Palace, oh INSIDE Buckingham Palace, no never”
And so it was a phone conversation like this that lead to me being one of the selected few attending the Buckingham Palace Summer Garden Party.
Despite my excitement at the prospect of such a formal affair, I resisted the temptation to don the full top hat and tails and opted for a suit and tie. Instead of worrying about my outfit, what I should have been doing is paying more attention to the weather forecast. I’m not sure if it was the thought of rubbing shoulders with royalty or the excitement of getting to leave work at 2pm that distracted me, but as the first droplet of rain hit my newly clipped hair, I realised my umbrella was sitting under my desk and I was about to spend an afternoon outdoors at a garden party!
While the afternoon hadn’t had the best start, I was pleased to see that by the time I arrived back from grabbing my umbrella, the rain was beginning to ease. So despite being soaked to the bone, I reminded myself what a privileged position I was in to be attending such an event and that it was my duty as an Australian to make the most of the opportunity. So putting my best, if somewhat soggy, foot forward, I entered the gates of Buckingham Palace as a proud ambassador for Australia.
I quickly discovered how appropriate a representation I was providing of Australia – well, its convict settlers at least. Feeling like someone who had jumped the fence rather than attending as an invited guest, I mingled amongst foreign dignitaries, members of Parliament, men and women of the various armed forces, and senior citizens from across the UK for whom attending a garden party in Buckingham Palace appeared to be a life long ambition. It seemed my only contribution to the event was to lower the average age of the attendees.
Not that the occasion was lost on me. With the “backyard” of the palace providing a surprising contrast to the grandeur of the tourist attraction out the front, it was an honour to be experiencing the palace without towering iron gates obstructing the view. The sprawling gardens and perfectly manicured lawns would provide the perfect setting for a period drama if anyone ever managed to get permission to film there, but at the same time, as I stood in the middle of the lawn, I did find myself imagining what an amazing venue this would be for a game of backyard cricket and wondering whether Harry and Wills had ever played a game of “marks up” on the grass (probably not).
As the formalities of the event began, the crowd was made to form lanes for the Royal Family members to walk down. With the weight of Australia on my shoulders, I was determined to avoid the embarrassment of former Primer Minister John Howard and kept telling myself, “don’t pat her on the back, don’t pat her on the back”. It turned out I would’ve had more of a chance of getting tickets to next year’s Olympic Men’s 100m final, as I was jostled backwards until I found myself standing well back from where the Queen and Prince Phillip would be walking. Disappointed, I turned only to discover that my new position had me front and centre to the lane that Charles and Camilla would be walking down. Despite Camilla’s remark that we “all look a bit wet”, I was surprised at how much of a buzz I got out of being so close.
The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the food and drink on offer and after the obligatory cup of tea, I dedicated myself to testing every one of the various types of nibbles on offer. While the “royal” ice coffee being served was pretty good, I couldn’t help thinking that a perfect end to the afternoon would’ve been a nice cold beer. Unfortunately they must have heard I’d got a ticket and decided not to serve any alcohol.
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