Afternoon Tea in the Garden by Merrill Bate

 

I had finally retired, after a 41-year career in the NHS, the QARANC, and the NHS for a 2nd time. I was discovering that one of the little luxuries of retirement was being able to enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee whilst reading a newspaper. One morning, whilst struggling with a particularly difficult question in the cryptic crossword, the postman delivered a large cream envelope. It was my invitation to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace!

Every year The Queen hosts three parties in the Palace and one in Holyrood House as a way to recognise and reward public service. However, my invitation was for a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace organised by The Not Forgotten Association (The NFA). The NFA is a tri-service charity which provides entertainment, leisure and recreation for the serving wounded, injured or sick and for ex-service men and women with disabilities. At the NFA’s Annual Garden Party, 2,500 guests from over 120 military organisations enjoy afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace.

So it was that on 7th June 2018 my husband and I made our way to London to enjoy afternoon tea in the garden at Buckingham Palace.

However, before the big day there was quite a lot of planning to do. People who know me well know that I never ever go anywhere without a plan!

Would we go by train? Maybe not, I wasn’t sure that my hat would survive the train journey up to London and I didn’t fancy travelling home in the midst of the rush hour on a train crammed full of commuters. Could we drive? Where would we park? What should I wear and what shoes would be most comfortable? I knew from experience that wearing thin heels isn’t the most practical thing to do – if you stand on grass in one place for a while the heels sink into the grass and when you start to move you realise you are cemented to the spot – how embarrassing that would be! This is why the Queen wears sensible wears shoes with a wide heel. So, my beloved Bally court shoes, well known to many a QA, were pressed into service again. It was some months later that I discovered the you can buy flat discs that you attach to the heel of your shoes which prevent the sinking into the grass problem.

The big day eventually dawned. Thankfully the weather was beautiful, not too hot and there wasn’t a rain cloud in the sky. We drove to London and entered the cordoned area around the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of the Palace Gates waiting to be security cleared. Whilst waiting we stood and chatted to serving personnel and veterans from all 3 Services. There was a palpable sense of excitement and pride - uniforms pressed, shoes bulled and medals polished; summer dresses with elaborate hats and fascinators. I wonder what the crowds of tourists thought?

Eventually, security cleared, we navigated the car through the throngs of people, police and tourists, through the gates of Buckingham Palace and past the Sentry into the inner courtyard. This was indeed a very special day!

As we stood looking out onto the gardens from the top of the steps leading down from the Palace, there were marquees where tea would be served plus lots of tables and chairs in small groups all over the lawn, a military band playing and hundreds of Service personnel ready to lend a hand for those less able to navigate the steps.

The first port of call on arrival was to find what in polite company you might refer to as “rest rooms”. Surely these were the smartest and cleanest “Portaloo’s” in the land!

It wasn’t too long until The Yeoman of the Guard looking resplendent in their uniforms took their positions to welcome HRH The Princess Royal, as Patron of The Not Forgotten Association.

Today the Yeomen of the Guard have a purely ceremonial role and are mustered about eight times each year and this includes the garden parties at Buckingham Palace.

The gardens are as you might expect truly wonderful to walk around but eventually the need for a cup of tea took priority. We were lucky to find some seats and sat down only to find that we had company – Wayne Sleep and his partner were also taking a well-earned rest! I had not realised that a number of “showbiz” personalities who support The NFA would be there. So, whilst enjoying a particularly good afternoon tea we were ‘royally’ entertained by Wayne with tales of his experiences on the BBC series “The Real Marigold Hotel”. I won’t reveal the detail but it was certainly an afternoon with lots of fun and laughter!

My husband would say that I made a bee-line towards Alfie Boe, whilst I will say that I just happened to bump into him!

All too soon it was time to go home taking with us memories of talking to injured service personnel, WW2 veterans and the volunteers from the numerous charities that offer so many different types of support.

As my husband drove the car across the Palace forecourt and through the magnificent gates, I will admit to being tempted to give a royal wave to the crowds outside!

I think this quote sums the day up: “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” (Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady)

Lt Col (Retd) Merrill Bate served in the QARANC from 1980-2002