King Charles' attendance at this year's royal garden parties 'will be confirmed ... trends now

The attendance of King Charles III and other Royal Family members at garden parties this summer will be 'confirmed on the day', Buckingham Palace said today.

Two of the traditional gatherings will take place in the Buckingham Palace Garden in London later this month - next Wednesday, May 8 and on Tuesday, May 21 – while a third at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh will be held on Tuesday, July 2.

Royal aides said the garden parties are traditionally referred to as 'The Sovereign's Garden Party', and 'attendance at each garden party will be confirmed on the day'. Royal aides hope that the King will attend at least one out of these three events.

Buckingham Palace will also host three further garden parties - for people in the creative industries on Wednesday, May 15; The Not Forgotten Association on Friday, May 17; and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) on Thursday, May 23.

Charles began a return to royal-facing engagements this week with a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London on Tuesday; the presentation of the Coronation Roll at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday; and his surprise appearance at the Royal Windsor Horse Show with Zara Tindall today.

His appearance and cheerful demeanour at all three events indicates the positive progress he is making after almost three months of cancer care as an outpatient.

But the King’s diary of forthcoming events will not be a full summer programme, and attendance will be announced nearer the time and 'subject to doctors' advice', with 'adaptations made where necessary to minimise risk' to the monarch’s recovery. 

Garden parties are also a favourable type of event for the King in the warmer weather given that being outside reduces the risk posed by other people that many cancer patients face.

The garden parties have been held at the palace since the 1860s when Queen Victoria began what were known as 'breakfasts', which actually took place in the afternoon.

Guests queue in tea tents and take their seats on nearby chairs, with about 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake consumed at each party.

More than 8,000 guests usually attend each traditional garden party. 

Members of the Royal Family enter from the West Terrace and stand for the National Anthem, before circulating down lanes of people on the lawn.

Yeomen of the Guard, dressed in their red and gold ceremonial costumes, form part of the proceedings, and guests are free to stroll around the vast expanse of the gardens while a military band plays background music.

This year, the 'Creative Industries Garden Party' on May 15 will be a first-ever 'celebration of the creative industries of the United Kingdom', held with support from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.