ROYAL GARDEN PARTIES

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28372, 3 September 1957, Page 11

ROYAL GARDEN PARTIES

21,000 Guests In 12 Days [From the London Correspondent of "The Press”] LONDON. ' In a period of 12 days the Queen had as her guests the grand total of 21,000 people at Bucking- . ham Palace. With attendances of ’ some 8000 people at each of the two garden parties given annually at the Palace and 5000 American! " lawyers and their wives, in Lon-' • don for the American Bar Associa-* I B tion convention, attending a B special party, the Queen’s guest 5 list this year is believed to constitute a record at the Palace for t a period under a fortnight. i These parties, coming at the: i height of the summer season in London, are looked upon as the main social occasion of the year. They give the Queen the opportunity to greet Commonwealth visitors to Britain, as well as res turning hospitality which she rex'ceives when making visits to or--1! ganisations, municipalities, and . villages throughout Britain dur- » ing the year. " I x The main portion of the guest list, however, is compiled over a , period of many years, and is con- ; stantly subject to amendments by the Lord Chamberlain’s office in St. James’s Palace. In the post-1 war years these amendments' have resulted in more additions, ’ than deletions, with the result the l • list today is four times the length of some of the between-world-5 wars lists. 1 About March each year, Government offices, including the offices of the High Commissioners ‘ for the Commonwealth countries, J receive letters from the Lord i Chamberlain saying, in effect. • that the Queen would like to see a stipulated number of their . members or nationals. Although • the Lord Chamberlain decides the numbers on a pro rata basis, the . names are usually picked by the organisations or offices. In some . offices, bends nf donurfmnn+c

d offices, heads of departments or i missions decide selection by rota--3 tion, while in others they are 1 chosen by ballot. e 200 New Zealanders V The New Zealand High Com “ missioner in London, Sir Clifton 1 Webb, is permitted to submit the 2 names of 200 New Zealanders to the Lord Chamberlain each year, s and selection, except in the case - of specific Royal command, is invariably by ballot. Thus one out r of every 10 New Zealand visitors - to Britain who indicate at New 1 Zealand House that they would - be available to attend the parties . receive invitations. Normally, before the first of the parties, Her Majesty holds a Presentation Party for some 280 overseas debutantes. The New Zealand quota is 24, and if the parents of the girls selected for presentation are in Britain, they > may also attend to see their s daughters make their curtsy. It i is customary for the Queen to ini vite them to stay for the “After- > noon Party” which follows. Hence more than 200 New Zealanders ■ actually attend the garden i parties. >. In the formal wording of the ; Court Circulars the “Afternoon . Party” is held in the “Garden of the Palace” and the “attendance i of certain married ladies consti- . tutes Presentation at Court.” The , procedure in the Garden follows . a fixed pattern, with the Queen. . accompanied by other members of r the Royal Family, leaving the » Palace at 4 p.m. precisely. Her ' Majesty and each member of the ‘ Royal Family is preceded by . Gentlemen Ushers when they . separate to greet their guests on J the spacious lawns. Moving un- - obtrusively, the ushers single out guests to speak with members of the Royal Family. [ Mr John Hale, secretary to the ’ New Zealand High Commissioner, 5 is an Extra Gentleman Usher of '• the Commonwealth, and this year • he preceded the Queen Mother , and Princess Margaret at the first party and the Queen at the second, singling out New Zealanders from the vast crowd. I Gradually the Queen passes through the crowds to the Royal tea enclosure, where diplomats and distinguished foreign guests await her. The time when the Buckingham Palace kitchens were, able to cater fnr th a aiiActc ic innn

past with the increase in attend- i ances, so the catering is undertaken commercially. For the two' main parties 5001 b of tea was required. In addition, 5200 small loaves of bread, 8401 b of ham, and 28001 b of cakes were ordered.