Prince William hosted a rain-soaked palace garden party with his cousins

Whenever King Charles doesn’t show up for an event these days, the courtiers say “he still has cancer” and the reporters dutifully report it in hushed, sepulchral tones. Nevermind the fact that when Charles wants to look busy, he’s out and about constantly. Especially if his younger son is in town. All of which to say, there was another Buckingham Palace garden party on Tuesday and the king didn’t bother showing up. It was left to Prince William to play host during what turned out to be a torrential downpour. Y’all know all of the pastries were probably water-logged and gross.

William apparently asked some family members to show up too, because he couldn’t handle hosting a garden party by himself. Thus, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were on hand, plus several of William’s cousins: Zara Tindall, Mike Tindall, Peter Phillips, plus Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. The ladies wore white or pink and everyone carried a black umbrella.

As for the York princesses’ presence at the garden party… when QEII was around, B&E were often invited to these kinds of events. In the Carolean era, it’s a different story, especially with the press demanding that the York princesses be brought in as working royals. Becky English at the Mail dutifully noted: “Sources have previously indicated that the presence of the Duke of York’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, should not be seen as a sign that they will start to undertake more public engagements or becoming part-time working royals.” English also notes that QEII often invited B&E to these kinds of events and Charles plans to do the same.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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159 Responses to “Prince William hosted a rain-soaked palace garden party with his cousins”

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  1. LadyE says:

    Ugh that looks so unpleasant. Walking around in heels in wet grass with rain, no thanks. I like Zara’s look a lot! I really dislike her style pretty much all the time, but here I even like her hat lol

    • Jais says:

      The whole thing looks tedious and boring. Even when it’s not raining, everybody just looks like they’re standing around in the grass. Where’s the food? Where’s the drinks? Where’s the lounge area for when you want to sit?

      • LadyE says:

        I’m pretty fit, but for some reason I find holding an umbrella and standing to be really tiring lol. I would be exhausted by the lack of seating or tents to not have to hold up an umbrella all the time. I should probably focus on my arms a bit haha

      • It sure does look boring. All dressed up standing in the rain and for what? That Peg might come over your way and nod his balding head at you.

      • molly says:

        Also, there’s like 8000 people attending this thing! That’s a LOT of people.

        It’s not like everyone can expect a conversation with a royal, so yeah, I guess you do stand around in uncomfortable clothes and make small talk with strangers in the rain. (God, that’s my worst nightmare.)

      • Megan says:

        @Molly That’s why they had to call in the nonworking royals to help work the crowd.

      • BeanieBean says:

        @LadyE: same. I can hike all day or walk all day, but stand for a half hour? No thanks. While holding an umbrella? Impossible.

      • Ella says:

        His caption: “ello, I just wants to dress like that guy in Chitty Chitty Bang .” me: ugggh…eye roll …loser….loosaaair… lahoooooser…. how many ways can you say loser? Yes, he is all of the ways to say loser.

    • ML says:

      It looks like that grass was cut way too short, doesn’t it? The women’s high heels are pretty much completely visible instead of sinking into the grass a bit. Considering all the talk of grass being green deserts, a water guzzling carpet, and it’s better if you keep it longer with wildflowers in it, it looks like KC3 didn’t want to have anything to do with it.

      • Megan says:

        Are you seriously complaining about grass in a formal garden being mowed before an event?

      • ML says:

        Megan, We’ve been hit with wet winters and dry summers a lot over the past decade. We’ve been hearing ways to help the environment as well…This is supposed to be Charles’s and William’s passion! That lawn requires more mowing (and it’s probably not done by hand). It’s more susceptible to weeds according to the Dutch, (possibly not applicable) soil erosion, and drought/ sogginess. It can’t provide a home to insects and frogs at that height. They keep telling us to grow the grass higher and mow less often. I finally found an English link: https://terrafirmagroundcare.co.uk/blog-1-1/best-cutting-length-for-grass

      • Where'sMyTiara says:

        I live in the States and even I’ve heard of “No Mow May”…

    • Waitwhat says:

      This is the best I’ve ever seen Zara look!

  2. Displayed in his natural habitat

  3. equality says:

    Soggy royals and soggy food. What fun. It’s almost like they don’t have a castle so they could invite guests to come inside. Anyone else would have a back-up plan with an inside venue for rain.

    • Chloe says:

      And if they didn’t want to invite the guests inside they couldn’t put up party tents or something?

      • lisa says:

        this is exactly what i came to say. with all that money, and access to news and weather forecasts, they couldnt cough up the rental of a few tents? I am pretty sure they must have them in some storeroom somewhere…….

  4. Jks says:

    They really don’t want to let the unwashed masses inside the palace, even when it’s soaking outside.

    After a selfie, Will walked off without offering his umbrella to a wheelchair bound elderly lady. So typical.

    • This princely man left an elderly person in a wheelchair to soak in the rain as he walked off with an umbrella-and somehow we are suppose to believe he “takes care” of his ill wife?

    • ELX says:

      They can afford to put up a marquee, but they are too cheap to do so and would rather ruin $700 pairs of shoes.

      • Jks says:

        Zara’s shoes look like suede. It looks wet. Not the only pair of shoes to get ruined that day.

    • rosa mwemaid says:

      How ungentlemanly.

    • QuiteContrary says:

      That is absolutely shameful.

      I cannot imagine either Harry or Meghan allowing an older woman in a wheelchair to be left without an umbrella in the rain.

      • Agreatreckoning says:

        Agree. We’ve seen Meghan giving up her coat? for a young baby. William wouldn’t give up an umbrella to an elderly person (he photo opped with) to protect his “hair” do. lolz “global statesman” on the job. /s

  5. Alix says:

    Eugenie: why such a shapeless white sack?
    Beatrice: is she on Ozempic or something?
    How many women’s stilettos sunk into the rain-soaked lawn?
    And what about the all-hallowed SCHOOL RUN, Huevo?? Surely he should have skipped the party for that sacred duty.

    • Smart&Messy says:

      Eugenie should invest in a good bra. I liked Beatrice and Zara’s look. Both looks are very Kate, just more effortless somehow. You know Kate would have added some Zara chandelier earrings or a hat from a military themed attire.

      • Nanea says:

        According to Wiki, both Yorks are customers of Rigby&Peller, so I have no idea why Eugenie always looks like she grabbed something off the *rack* at Cheap&Awful.

        I’d love to see her hat in full, as I really have no idea where they always find these… things.

        Bea’s headband is awful too. It’s sad that they’re ugly flying themselves with bad accessories, or low-quality supportive/shape wear.

      • Andrea says:

        I think the image was altered..look at the skirt area..I went to search other images and it doesn’t look as bad in the others I found

      • Renstewart says:

        Yes, drooping puppies is a pet peeve of mine, which means the Queen Consort drives me nuts in everything she wears.

    • Pinkosaurus says:

      Zara wore pink suede stilettos for a party on wet grass. None of these left behinds can read a room, even when it’s a garden.

      • Jais says:

        I saw an upclose picture and there is some kind of plastic piece they put on the heel for walking in the grass. That said, yeah the shoes were getting wet from the grass and they were suede. I’m sure the outfit was planned ahead and then it rained so what to do?

      • Ginny says:

        Some IG account — maybe @royalfashionpolice? — had a zoomed-in shot of Zara’s shoes to show that there was a small clear cover/base thing on each of the heels to keep them from sinking into the grass. I’m sure the suede was still worse for the wear, but not gonna lie, I wish I had known about those little cover thingies for my wedding day, ha!

      • Hannah1 says:

        “left behinds”
        😂

    • SueBarbri33 says:

      One thing I’ll say about the York Girls is: they are at least recognizable. Especially Beatrice these days. I’ve been royal watching for nearly 30 years and still have trouble picking Zara out of a lineup.

      • Pomski says:

        @sueb my thoughts exactly. had there been one more picture of a royal lady i wouldn’t have known which one was zara.

      • Joyful Liluri says:

        Zara has “cia face”. She always looks like a different person. She’s not recognizable by her face and her face is hard to call to memory at any given moment.

        Excellent for being a spy. Terrible for trying to be in the public eye.

    • Samatha says:

      I thought Eugenie and Beatrice were supposed to bring glamour and international media? I didn’t know about this party until I saw this article. ……. 😗

    • Pomski says:

      Barbra Streisand asked the very same question about someone being on ozempic and was crucified on this very site. I guess it’s ok when mere mortals ask.

      • NickG says:

        @Pomski that is completely untrue! Most comments were kind of like, meh, she’s older, that’s how they are on social media. Crucified???

  6. Harla A Brazen Hussy says:

    So, one can earn an outside income and still attend and represent the royal family at royal events, good to know.

    • LRB says:

      Half in half out… that awful couple the Tindall’s live off their royal adjacency, Zara is loving her current exposure… Beware of Kate – if she does return Zara will be put back in her box. That said I think Zara looks as nice as I have ever seen her look. The York Princesses, Bea in particular, desperately want to be working royals. I hope Eugenie can be trusted to keep her mouth firmly shut when it comes to the Sussex’s. She can be friends with both, but she needs to be careful the stay behinds don’t use her.

      • Jaded says:

        Why would you think she’d suddenly start spilling? Her lips have been sealed all along and it’s clear she values her friendships with M&H far too much to get into bed with the likes of KFC and Silly Billy.

      • Joyful Liluri says:

        It needs to be acknowledged that the BRF has a significant amount of leverage on Eugenia.

        Her mother has cancer. Her second bout in two years.

        Her father is a shit stain – but even the worst parents can be heart breaking for a child to wash their hands of.

        Both parents live on palace grounds, in the home that they have lived in for decades. And that Charles and William seem desperate to wrest from them. Regardless of departed mommy dearest’s wishes. They are holding back for the moment, but clearly laying the groundwork in the media Andrew is expected to not be able to afford for the upkeep of Royal lodge.

        Not to mention that the press could add an incredible amount of stress to their lives- that among other things could seriously hinder Fergie’s recovery. Or even make her final time a misery.

        Who knows if Fergie’s medical care if also being used as leverage? Royals don’t go to the NHS. She’s seeing specialist and receiving excellent care at her home.

        Charles would not balk at pulling any of it to get what he wants.

        That’s an incredibly hard needle to thread.

        Showing up in support often enough to help your parents standing, making the proper amount of effort to look like a team player for the royal family while also maintaining ties to the exiled black sheep of the family.

        I think she’s done incredibly well in a truly fraught situation. I am very proud of her.

      • LRB says:

        @Jaded – indeed Eugenie has, but it just feels as if the BRF are trying to pull her into the fold and the payoff might be that she is asked not to be seen with the Sussex’s . As I say it is just a feeling that the vibe around the Yorkies is changing and part of the reason might be to further cut off H&M.

  7. Jks says:

    First photo. Will looks exactly like a penis.

  8. bisynaptic says:

    There’s a video, circulating on twitter, of William, posing with a couple of elderly women, one of whom is in a wheelchair. He’s the only one with an umbrella. As soon as they’re done taking the picture, he scoots off, with his umbrella, and the women go back to getting rained on.

    • equality says:

      Makes him look like a tool, but also makes the ladies and their caretakers look not overly bright to be this sycophantic to the royals that they sit in the rain to provide a photo op for PW.

  9. sevenblue says:

    They have a bunch of palaces. Can’t they improvise and change the location in case of rain? How are you gonna have a garden party while it is raining? So stupid.

    • LRB says:

      BuckPal is not lived in so why can’t they open the State rooms… worried people will steal the already stolen jewels?

  10. The Hench says:

    Since the men wear a uniform for these sorts of social events, sartorial interest can only come from the women. I actually like what Beatrice and Zara are wearing dress wise although I’m not keen on the headwear of either. Eugenie’s dress, to me, is ‘meh’. Zara’s shoes were clearly not chosen with muddy, soft grass in mind….

    Also, BP is ginormous. Why the hell don’t they have a wet weather contingency for days like this? It must have been miserable.

    • rosa mwemaid says:

      That would require forward planning, and it’s only the plebs.

    • Jay says:

      @Hench how are they supposed to plan for such unexpected circumstances like rain in the middle of May in England?

      • Joyful Liluri says:

        Truly unprecedented. Rain! In England! In the spring!

        There was no way that anyone could have foreseen this truly shocking turn of events.

  11. Piper says:

    I always wonder about the relationship between Harry and the York princesses especially Eugenia & seeing them hug Piers Morgan. That’s some tea that I would like to have. The 🥚 is the usual 🥱

    • sevenblue says:

      It was Beatrice who hugged Piers Morgan. We didn’t see Eugenie interacting with Piers, let alone hugging him. I think, York princesses are trying not to take a side. Beatrice plays a more active role in protecting her father’s reputation from what I see. So, she is probably making friends with powerful tabloid people, so they wouldn’t go after her father.

    • rosa mwemaid says:

      Why would anyone in their right mind want to hug Morgan, or are they afraid of him?

      • Joyful Liluri says:

        It’s payment to keep their mother and father out of the tabloids.

        Fergie is undergoing cancer treatment for a second form of cancer. In under two years.

        We don’t know the prognosis but I can imagine that many a devoted or loving child might make a deal with the devil himself to keep the stress down in their ailing parents life. Or even just hug one.

  12. Tina says:

    This party looked so grim and miserable. I laughed when I first saw these pics. Can these people not afford to put up tents? And I can just hear Willy shouting ‘look Harold I have cousins too!’.

  13. Em says:

    I wonder if he has to bribe them with clothing allowance or something to attend these events, because i remember the royal wedding in Jordan there was a video of Beatrice and her husband standing directly infront of William and Kate and they literally pretended not to know each other, William was talking to people and Kate just stood there looking clueless and Beatrice and her husband ignored her

    • Becks1 says:

      Beatrice and Kate really don’t get along. I imagine Eugenie doesn’t much care for her either, especially if she is close with Meghan and has an idea of how Kate treated her. But even before Meghan came on the scene, even before Kate and William were engaged, she was a total mean girl to the yorks.

      • Chaine says:

        Exactly. If the site of Beatrice taking over her role as extremely thin royal woman in bright red prairie dress does not flush Kate out of the bushes, nothing well!

      • booboocita says:

        Remember Huevo’s and Huesa’s wedding? Eugenie and Beatrice showed up in laughable hats, with Beatrice’s giant portal-to-hell-with-a-bow-on-top being particularly heinous. Fantastic trolling!

      • Joyful Liluri says:

        I cannot imagine wanting to be a married in and then going out of your way to be cruel, cutting and to try to ostracize your potential future husband’s cousins.

        His of a similar age as you, aristocratic through and through, Royal cousins.

        Kate desperately wanted to be an aristocrat. She desperately wanted to be a royal. And instead of seeing the other female members of the family as potential allies, possible friends or at the very least – seeing the advantage to having them on her side – she tried to torpedo them.

        Kate truly was (is?) her own worst enemy.

    • Jais says:

      I forgot about the fact that Beatrice and Edo were at that Jordan wedding. And yeah, they made no eye contact or spoke with the wales at all. Which is weird. At least fam sit for the cameras. When you can’t even do that…jeez. Like beck1 said, there’s no love lost bw Bea and Kate. Imagine bullying a girl younger than you like that. But it’s still funny to think about how all these people show up when Willaim asks regardless of their true feelings.

      • Jais says:

        At least fake it for the cameras I mean🙄. Like you’re at a wedding in another country. Acknowledge the family that’s also there. But maybe they weren’t near each other I can’t remember that well.

      • Christine says:

        They were maybe 10 feet apart, if I’m remembering the right moment.

        I hadn’t done the math on just how young Bea and Eugenie were when Kate showed up. Did she seriously bully what could only be described as girls right out of the gate?

      • Joyful Liluri says:

        There is a ton of actual video footage of Kate being truly awful to the York sisters.

        I can’t fathom her motivation. They are Williams cousins. Not competition in terms of getting him in the sack.

        They aren’t and weren’t being sent out on royal assignments, so no need to fret about media competition.

        She was just horrible to them. It seems to have been her default setting.

        What a sad sad life, honestly. To be so hurtful to people, you must be desperately unhappy.

    • EllenOlenska says:

      My first thought when I saw these pics was that everyone’s royal allowance was being held hostage inside…only theirs after spending X hours at the party and X photo ops with POC’s and kids and old ladies. And as the left there would be a courtier saying “ okay Zara I see you have done your duty, three old ladies, one old soldier, one small person of color (2 points!) , one witty laughing at some desperate royalist joke..you may collect your check!”

  14. Becks1 says:

    I was not surprised that B&E were there; as noted, this is fairly normal for them to attend one or two garden parties a year.

    I WAS very surprised to see Zara and Peter there, and I was SHOCKED to see Mike Tindall there.

    Like…..you are invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace, you think there’s a chance you might meet the king or queen, or even the prince of wales, and instead you meet…..Mike Tindall. They really are getting desperate if they had to call him as backup for this.

    • Unblinkered says:

      Couldn’t agree more. Tindall is an oaf, and had no place there hosting.

    • Flower says:

      This is 100% the work of the courtiers.

      I think Chuckles has had the Crisis Consultants in recently because the BRF have been obsessively targeting the influencer population and anyone with a youngish slightly socially conscious (but not quite socialist red leaning) audience – some of the biggest black Brit accounts have been invited to Palace Garden parties in the last year and the BRF were definitely checking for them pre-Meghan.

      It’s very clear which market they’re targeting but it’s failing horribly – H&M supporters in the mainstay are actually ambivalent or anti-Monarchy to this strategy will backfire spectacularly. Indeed the deranged camp are already complaining about the sea-changes which are clearly Sussex lite imitations.

      I have no idea why the new strategy it’s not as if H&M supporters will start singing Rule Britannia or going to the Proms – lmao

  15. Minnieder says:

    The picture of egg by himself cracks me up. Why does he have one leg bent like he’d trying to strike a sexy pose, and peeking over his shoulder?!? 🤣

  16. FancyPants says:

    They should use the clear dome umbrellas like QE2 used to do. Or, you know, go inside when it’s raining.

    • Lorelei says:

      @Fancypants, MTE!

      Overall, what a depressing looking “party”

    • BeanieBean says:

      One thing I’ve always noticed about those clear domed umbrellas, people still hold them like regular umbrellas–above their heads. I think the domed ones are less effective when held that way.

  17. Tessa says:

    Wil liam strikes poses to try to look dashing

  18. Jais says:

    Feels like this was supposed to be William’s “Spencer moment” as in see, look, family members support me too. The rain kind of washed it out though.

    • Jks says:

      They can’t get a single ‘iconic’ photo of Will, no matter how hard they try. The optics are very dull and dreary. He simply doesn’t have “it”. The cameras hate him.

    • Water Lilly says:

      The sun, which shone so brightly on Harry at his Invictus moment, was too busy to attend Williams’s fancy hat party.

      • BlueNailsBetty says:

        “Meh”, responded the Sun when asked why it did not attend the royal garden party.

    • Avonan says:

      The Windsor cousins may have attended, but it doesn’t look like any of them interacted with Willful…judging by the photos I saw. There are several of Beatrice, Eugenia, Peter and Zara interacting with one another, however.

      • Jais says:

        See, I do find this weird. William’s image needs some humanizing so why doesn’t he converse with his cousins in public? I thought Mike was his new brother/ bestie?

      • Harper says:

        Well, if he spoke to them they might ask him about Kate.

      • Avonan says:

        Maybe the cousins know enough about Wills’ temper to steer clear of him (even brother-from-another-Mother Tindall) and to not ask questions about Kate. Or maybe they already know about Kate…and are avoiding him for that reason. Something is not right with the FK and his family relationships.

      • Jaded says:

        William has become the family pariah since Kate’s disappearance. Gee I wonder why…

      • BeanieBean says:

        They’re there to speak with the peasants.

    • Sure says:

      Karma washed it out.

  19. Brassy Rebel says:

    This looks like so much fun! Not!

    Even the weather gods are done with the Windsors. And leaving an elderly woman in a wheelchair to get soaked is so on brand for William.

  20. Proud Mary says:

    The only thoughts that occurred to me when I saw him with that umbrella, was all those times when he used to hold his umbrella over himself while poor Kittykat walked in the rain. Harry is just so much classier.

    Response to bysmatic (at #8)

    • equality says:

      It says something about him, but also about her. She couldn’t get a clue and start carrying her own umbrella or have a staff member carry one?

  21. sparrow says:

    One thing we’re used to over here is rain and I think we’re pretty good at handling it. We’ve just had two glorious days in the south and then this. I feel like a pet tortoise, out of hibernation for a couple of days and now back in the loft to re hibernate.

  22. Cassie says:

    Gosh that looks like fun .
    William looks like a dickhead ,

  23. OriginalMich says:

    Flower shows and garden parties. Oh my!

    Since the Queen’s death, the royal family has seemed increasingly closed off and out of touch. I don’t think I understood the importance and impact of her busy schedule meeting people where they were, but I do now. She gave the throne presence and substance. The current lot comes across as very remote, vapid, and Gilded Age.

  24. Amy Bee says:

    Becky English said on twitter that this can be viewed as a sign of unity. Everything William does is with Harry in mind apparently. I think these garden parties look antiquated. Why aren’t there tents for the guests to shelter under when it rains?

    • Eurydice says:

      She’s so stupid. Unity against what? He’s the Frikkin Future King, for heaven’s sake. By definition everyone is on his side.

    • Flower says:

      If their whole strategy for the Monarchy is ‘anti Harry’ then they are so screwed.

      Embarrassing.

  25. EasternViolet says:

    Aren’t there big tents for these occasions? Why didn’t William invite his beloved wife’s parents?

    I also saw discussion about how the RF ladies all where pink and white to honour Kate — which is a breast cancer thing… or… Pink = ROSE. You pick the theme.

    • bisynaptic says:

      “Why didn’t William invite his beloved wife’s parents?”
      —Great question! Where are they?

  26. 809Matriarch says:

    Beatrice looks like Rose Hanbury in the photo of her walking down the stairs…

  27. Chaine says:

    I don’t understand why, when they have miles of unused palace rooms, they would force everyone for this “party” to stand outside in the rain and mud? Where is the true hospitality for their subjects?

    • Harper says:

      The fact that they don’t splurge for complimentary umbrellas for their honored guests reeks of cheapness. You can get cheap umbrellas at Walgreens and I’m sure if BP bought in bulk from some corporate supplier it would not make a dent in their Coutts accounts. I don’t know why they didn’t cancel it.

    • Eurydice says:

      It’s not about hospitality; it’s about the honor of being invited to BP, even if it means standing in the pouring rain.

    • rosa mwemaid says:

      Allow the plebs. into the palace when they are not paying, Dream on.

  28. CM says:

    Even with all of them together, they lack the star power of the Sussexes!!! 🤷🏻‍♀️

  29. Gingerbee says:

    Where are the gutter rats comments about the women wearing heels on grass, and wet grass as a matter of fact. When Meghan wore heels on the polo grounds, the haters had their knickers in a twist.

    • TheOriginalMia says:

      Meghan had the same heel protectors on. The haters were just hating for no reason. As usual.

  30. aquarius64 says:

    One, this party should have had a weather contingency. Two, I think William ordered the cousins to show up to reminder them he will havw a say in their lives when he becomes king. Notice William got no support from the Spencers like Harry did for the IG anniversary service.

  31. SamuelWhiskers says:

    Gawd, attending a palace garden party in the torrential, biblical rain we’ve been having is my idea of hell. So stupid and stubborn not to have a backup plan.

    The pink dress is very pretty though. Like a rhododendron flower.

    • Scorpio says:

      Agree that the pink dress is pretty. Zara’s dress looks … starched, oddly structured, not comfy and definitely not cute. But I have never liked her style especially her ugly hats. Actually hate to be negative but the hats are a fail all around

  32. BettyD says:

    Not even trying to be snarky (for once,) but what is the point of these garden parties? Who gets invited to stand around in the mud with the second and third tier royals and why is it considered valuable?

    • Christine says:

      I have the same question! Why is this something anyone wants to attend?

    • Innie says:

      I went to one once with my late mother, who had been invited because of her charity work. The sandwiches and cakes were great, and we got within touching distance of the late Queen. The weather was good. I’m a republican but it was a decent day out, and I did it for my Mum.

      • BettyD says:

        That I can genuinely see as a nice experience event, especially with the late Queen in attendance. I guess now it’s just more of a roll of the dice who’s going to show up, and I am somewhat aghast at the lack of weather contingency planning.

  33. Delphine says:

    I just love how the York princesses have evolved to be so well dressed.

  34. tamsin says:

    I think these garden parties take place as scheduled rain or shine. I’ve seen pictures of the Queen going around with her clear umbrella. I was surprised that Mike Tindall was there. What makes him special? He was the only spouse there. All the others were William’s cousins that he grew up with.

    Princess Anne and her husband hosted a party for veterans all by themselves recently. William, as future head of Armed Forces I would have thought would have been a shoe in to host it, after Charles.

    • Becks1 says:

      I think I know what party you are talking about, and Anne always hosts it IIRC. I think she is the patron of that particular charity.

  35. Walking the Walk says:

    Sign of unity? LMAO. Um not everyone is there.

  36. BlueNailsBetty says:

    Re: the photo of William standing there smiling and holding the umbrella…

    That pic looks like a still from a movie on the origin story of The Penguin.

  37. Jill says:

    What the f*ck is up with all these garden parties and flower shows? What is the point and who honestly gives a sh*t? Isn’t the UK known for being a bit rainy? Why wouldn’t they prepare with tents for everyone to huddle under? Is that something only peasants do?

    • sparrow says:

      It’s always been a rainy place; you can’t bank on anything here. Thing is, without rain most of us wouldn’t meet the random strangers who turn into friends or future relationships. You’re standing in a queue at the post office “it’s good to get out of that rain”; you’re waiting for a bus “looks like it’s going to rain”; your delivery driver has your parcel, which is getting drenched “they said it wasn’t going to rain today…they always get it wrong”. And all through these exchanges are the pulled faces, the keep calm and carry on moans, the shared amusement of expecting it to be any different, ever.

      It’s got worse, though. It never used to rain like this, flooding out huge sections of towns and coastal areas. It’s global warming but hey don’t say it. No one wants to hear about it.

      • bisynaptic says:

        Ah, so THAT explains the British stiff-upper-lip keep-calm-and-carry-on psyche!…. Rain!
        Good to know! 🤗

  38. BeanieBean says:

    I’d’ve worn wellies, rather than ruin a good pair of heels standing around in the rain, especially on grass! Although actually, I wouldn’t have gone. Stand around in the rain, holding an umbrella, attempting to talk to strangers? And how are you supposed to eat or drink anything while holding an umbrella?

    • sparrow says:

      BeanieBean I suspect you’d also have worn a backpack containing your two laptops. No, I shan’t forget your dual frankenphoto/work set up! Hilarious. I don’t know how others feel, but that mother’s day chat was the best I’ve ever known on here. The comments were just brilliant. My partner kept saying, what the **** are you laughing at now? It was non stop.

      • BeanieBean says:

        🤣🤣 You know it! And you’d’ve been there with an earpiece for convos with your boss!!🤭

  39. Cee says:

    He’s really out there proving he doesn’t need a spouse in order to fulfill his duties now that he no longer needs to have children.

  40. Beach Dreams says:

    Not even one front page was given to this rock star showing, LMAO. The media’s clearly irritated with him.

  41. Libra says:

    would any of us greet our guests outside in the rain and visit while holding umbrellas? No one is that rude, until now.

  42. Bonnie says:

    Can they not afford event tents?!?

    The umbrella gamut is idiotic.

  43. Smee says:

    Why didn’t the ladies “pay tribute” to Kate by wearing wedges?! She’s never coming back.

    • Henny Penny says:

      That’s a chilling observation. No one even wearing a symbolic flower in her honor to remind her they are thinking about her. Just, nothing. Is she locked in a tower? Did they take her phone away? Do they have the power today to just disappear someone like Kate and no one looks into it? God, I hope Harry and Meghan stay far away from these people.

  44. Unblinkered says:

    Goodness knows when we’ll next see any of them now, the UK has just announced that a General Electiion is to be held July 4 and BP has already announced they’ll be cancelling a lot of engagements.

    https://news.sky.com/story/amp/royal-family-postpones-engagements-to-not-divert-attention-from-general-election-campaign-13141453

    • Liz says:

      Their Tory friends helping them. All in it together.

    • Interested Gawker says:

      How convenient…
      So even less reason for BRF to interact with the public…
      I wonder how this fits in with the lawsuits too…🤔

      Keep the Sussexes in your prayers, these are shady moves…

    • Interested Gawker says:

      How convenient…
      So even less reason for BRF to interact with the public…
      I wonder how this fits in with the lawsuits too…🤔

  45. vpd4 says:

    This stuff is really starting to tire me out. Why don’t they just let it go? Harry and Meghan aren’t even paying attention to them.

  46. Bitchy_lurker says:

    I cannot believe Kaiser did not comment on all of the Buttons!! 🙂

  47. Nerd says:

    I hate all of their outfits. William somehow makes what most men would look handsome or even sexy in look slouchy and unappealing. Eugenie’s dress looks like bedsheets and her shoes look weird and out of place for a garden party. What in the world is that on her head? Beatrice’s dress is unattractive especially with the white buttons. What in the world is on her head? Her shoes are gorgeous, I will say that. Zara looks out of place for some reason. She looks like a 60s housewife but her hair looks great. I can’t imagine how boring this garden party is but add rain and it’s exponentially worse.

  48. Kake says:

    The Pull Ups jingle-“I’m a big kid, now” is bouncing around the noggin. Honestly! Wt Fluff is this malarkey. Peg looks like a petulant, ignorant, spoiled child who just got his way over a nothingburger of his own creation.

  49. Thelma says:

    Why are his teeth so bad? I know he can afford good dental care. And why are the ladies knot wearing practical shoes? You can where nice shoes that re appropriate for garden party with chunkier heels for example. They should get a tent as a matter of course given English weather.