King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed thousands of royal fans to Buckingham Palace this afternoon for their first garden party as monarchs.
The royal couple invited guests – including singer Lionel Richie and his girlfriend Lisa Parigi – into the grounds of their official London residence, just three days before their coronation.
The Queen, 75, looked effortlessly elegant in a navy-and-white coat dress by Bruce Oldfield – the designer who is reported to be creating her coronation gown.
The royal then paired this with a matching navy hat with a white ribbon, which was designed by Philip Tracey – the man who created her wedding headpieces in 2005.
Meanwhile, the King, 74, was dapper in a black suit and top hat – which he removed to address their guests at the beginning of the engagement.
King Charles was all smiles as he greeted guests at his first Buckingham Palace garden party as monarch today
As they arrived at the party, the King stood with a wooden walking stick to speak with his guests.
The pair then proceeded to work their way through the crowds – who have been specially selected by Palace aides.
The US star will be performing at the Coronation Concert this Sunday. Lionel looked suitably smart in a black morning suit while his long-term girlfriend Lisa wore a stunning Monique Lhuillier blue floral dress.
Many of the 500 Coronation Champions, recognised for their volunteering by the Royal Voluntary Service of which Camilla is patron, have been invited to the garden parties, as well as one of the official coronation festivities.
King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by the newly-appointed Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
For today’s engagement, Sophie, 58, opted for a pink-and-white checked coat by Suzannah London.
She then paired it with a blush floral hat by Jane Taylor, which she wore to last year’s Trooping the Colour.
What’s more, Prince Edward, 59, appeared to match his elder brother in a long-line black jacket, dark grey trousers and light grey waistcoat.
Queen Camilla wore a navy-and-white striped coat dress by one of her favourite designers Bruce Oldfield. Pictured greeting Lionel Richie and his wife Lisa Parigi
Lionel Richie and his long-term girlfriend Lisa Parigi pictured posing on the Buckingham Palace lawns this afternoon
King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by the newly-appointed Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh for the garden party
Camilla paired her coat dress with a matching navy hat with a white ribbon, which was designed by Philip Tracey – the man who created her wedding headpieces in 2005.
King Charles and Queen Camilla pictured greeting their thousands of guests at this afternoon’s garden party at Buckingham Palace
Glamorous guests donned their finest dresses and fascinators to meet the King and Queen this afternoon
Excited guests try to capture the moment King Charles and Queen Camilla appear on their smartphones
The couple stood on the garden steps of Buckingham Palace before working their way into the crowd
Many of the 500 Coronation Champions, recognised for their volunteering by the Royal Voluntary Service of which Camilla is patron, have been invited to the garden parties
Yeoman of the Guard were pictured practising on the lawns before standing to attention as Charles greeted his guests
King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh
Yeoman of the Guard were pictured practising on the lawns before standing to attention as Charles greeted his guests.
On May 9, the royal couple will hold another garden party at Buckingham Palace.
Another garden party will be hosted at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on July 4 during Holyrood Week.
The King has also given permission for two additional garden parties.
The Duchess of Edinburgh will host The Not Forgotten Association annual garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 16.
The tri-service charity provides entertainment, leisure and recreation for ex-service men and women with disabilities or illness and serving personnel who are wounded, injured or sick.
Last year, Charles and Camilla stepped up to host the first Buckingham Palace summer garden party as the late Queen was struggling with mobility issues.
Longtime associates: Lionel and Charles, shown in March 2019 in Bridgetown, Barbados, have known each other for a long time
Grandiose affair: ‘I want to see the pomp and circumstance because I don’t care what you thought Michael Jackson did. I don’t care what you thought Prince did. I don’t care what you thought Madonna did. Nothing’s going to be like this. This is the grandiose of grandiose right here,’ said Richie, shown in April 2022 at The Prince’s Trust Gala in New York City
After it was announced that Lionel will be performing at the Coronation concert, the singer said it was a ‘surprise’ and an ‘honour’ to be chosen.
The star will perform alongside Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli and Take That at the upcoming live music event.
Richie noted that he has known Charles, 74, ‘for a long time’ and added: ‘I really do celebrate his now stepping into the king role.’
The All Night Long singer said he was looking forward to the full pageantry of the upcoming coronation.
‘I want to see the pomp and circumstance because I don’t care what you thought Michael Jackson did. I don’t care what you thought Prince did. I don’t care what you thought Madonna did. Nothing’s going to be like this. This is the grandiose of grandiose right here,’ Richie said.
Other performers scheduled to perform during the Coronation Concert on May 7 include Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench.
Some 20,000 members of the public will attend the Coronation Concert, which will be aired on BBC1 and Radio 2 along with catch-up services.
King Charles and Prince William led the Royal Family today in attending rehearsals for his Coronation at Westminster Abbey. Above: The King smiles outside the church; Prince William walks into the Abbey alongside his son Prince George
The only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales cut a stylish picture in a floral Rachel Riley dress while out with her grandfather at Westminster Abbey
Kate Middleton also stunned in a Mortimer Black and White Fruity Floral Print Dress
Queen Consort Camilla greets church officials outside Westminster Abbey today as she arrives for Coronation rehearsals
According to the BBC, the concert will ‘celebrate a new chapter in the nation’s history’ and will have ‘themes of love, respect and optimism’ while celebrating the ‘four nations’ and the Commonwealth.
Richie became The Prince’s Trust’s first global ambassador in 2019.
The concert will be backed by a 70-piece orchestra and a ‘house band’ made up of the Massed Bands of the Household Division and the Countess of Wessex’s string orchestra.
There will also be the support of The Coronation Choir – a diverse group of performers including sea shanty singers, cab drivers, farmers and reggae choirs.
Landmarks and locations around the UK will also be lit up with lasers, drone displays and illuminations, the BBC said last week while announcing the celebration line-up.
Charlotte Moore, BBC chief content officer, said: ‘We have a world-class line-up of performers to look forward to for what promises to be a very special night of celebration and entertainment.’
The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom will take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.
It will be the 40th coronation to be held at Westminster Abbey since 1066 and the first coronation of a British monarch in the 21st century.
Earlier today, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children were pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey for a rehearsal of Saturday’s Coronation.
With just days to go until the historic event, His Majesty was pictured beaming outside the church in central London as he arrived with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, nine, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five.
Princess Anne and Queen Consort Camilla were there to greet the Dean of Westminster and other church officials before they went inside. The royals were also joined by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
It comes after thousands of personnel from the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force marched from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey in the early hours of this morning as they practiced for the big day on Saturday, May 6.
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach and Gold State Coach were also used in the full-scale rehearsal shortly after midnight.
Royal fans waited for more than three hours for the parade to make a return journey down the Mall
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