King Charles schedules first 2026 garden party on Prince Archie’s birthday
King Charles will begin his 2026 season of royal garden parties on 6 May, a date that also marks the seventh birthday of Prince Archie, the son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The diary detail underlines the King’s busy public programme as the Royal Family prepares to welcome thousands of guests to Buckingham Palace and later to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
Hello Magazine reported that the first garden party of the summer will take place at Buckingham Palace on 6 May, with further events on 8 May and 12 May.
The report said the parties are designed to recognise people who serve their communities through volunteering, charitable work and roles in the emergency services, with the opening event of the season placing particular focus on those efforts. A separate gathering for ex-service personnel, The Not Forgotten Association Annual Garden Party, is scheduled for 19 May at Buckingham Palace.
The date is described as bittersweet given the King’s limited contact with Archie since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals and moved to the United States in 2020, with Hello Magazine noting their last-known meeting was during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022, when the monarch also met Princess Lilibet for the first time. The announcement comes during a period of close attention on the King’s schedule, including recent changes such as cancelling a state visit lunch amid tension earlier this month.
The garden party season is set to continue with a further event at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on 30 June, as the King and Queen Camilla maintain the tradition of using the gatherings to highlight service and community contribution across the UK.
