A schoolgirl with cerebral palsy was rushed to hospital with serious burns after she was scaled by hot tea during a tour of Buckingham Palace.
Georgie Gibbs, 9, and her family had visited the state rooms and met the Queen’s horses when they stopped for a break in the royal garden café over a late July weekend.
But moments after sitting down at a table, a full cup of hot tea tipped over Georgie.
Recounting the incident which took place on 23 July, Georgie’s mother Clare, 48, said: “We sat down with our collection of cakes and drinks, suddenly Georgie started to scream and scream.
“It all happened so quickly and somehow the scalding hot tea had spilt onto her leg and was running down into the splint that she wears.
“The café was packed and we were at a small circular table at the front near where everyone was ordering.
“I can only assume that somehow Georgie’s wheelchair got budged and it knocked the table and caused the cup of tea to fall on her.
“The screams were horrific to hear and the whole cafe of tourists stopped in silence.
“We took the splints off as quickly as possible and I called immediately for iced water to put over her legs, suddenly all the customers started pouring their cold drinks onto her legs to cool the burns while waiting for more cold water.”
The nine-year-old is currently on a waiting list to undergo surgery to have her hip sockets straightened to help her walk.
Georgie had always wanted to visit Buckingham Palace, and her mother had paid £142 to take her history-loving daughter on a tour of the palace and gardens, along with her daughter Ella, 11, and partner Bruce Martin, 54.
Clare said: “Georgie is a Royal fanatic and loves the Queen so we took her to Buckingham Palace as a treat.
“She is having more surgery soon so we wanted to do something fun before the hard work begins because her rehabilitation is going to take some time.”
Clare, from Worcester, is now warning parents of the dangers of having hot drinks around children and the importance of acting quickly in the event of an accident.
She added: “We were all in shock and had no time to think about what was actually happening.
“The staff of the cafe came quickly with crate after crate of canned iced cold water which is vital when there is a burn.
“Management arrived quickly and efficiently and called the ambulance as Georgie was in pain and shock, we could see the legs were starting to blister.
“The management were amazing, keeping me informed of all their actions and reassuring me that help was on its way.
“The ambulance crew immediately gave Georgie some morphine and administered a special burns dressing to her legs.
“They advised they needed to get her to hospital quickly so we would be leaving from the back gardens of the palace, round the side and out through the front gates and would be escorted by palace officials.
“We left very hurried all four of us into the ambulance and onto St Thomas hospital.”
Georgie suffered second degree burns to her legs but the next day she and her family were invited back to the palace were they were “treated like royalty”.
Clare, a former HR manager, said: “We had to be at the palace gates for 1.30pm and we were told to drive into the front of the palace.
“We were all very excited about this as it felt really special and something good that came out of a bad experience.
“We were escorted by palace management back to the garden cafe were we had afternoon tea but with cold drinks this time.
“The staff gave Georgie and Ella a Jubilee teddy bear and a corgi dog cuddly toy. We were all treated like royalty.”
A Royal Collection Trust spokesperson said: “The safety of our visitors is a top priority and we aim to train our staff to react quickly when first aid incidents occur.
“We are please that Georgie is doing well and wish her a full and speedy recovery.”
