Garden parties during the UK's summer months are a staple of the royal family's calendar, with the monarch and their family using the events to recognise and reward public service.
On Wednesday, King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, hosted their first garden party as the leaders of the Firm.
More than 8,000 people were invited to the event at Buckingham Palace, including singer-songwriter Lionel Richie, who is set to perform at the King's coronation concert - taking place a day after the coronation ceremony - alongside Katy Perry, Take That and Andrea Bocelli.
Also among those invited to King Charles's inaugural garden party were 500 "Coronation Champions" — exceptional volunteers selected by the Royal Voluntary Service to mark this special coronation year.
Representing the royal family alongside the King and Queen Consort at the garden party were Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Richard and his wife Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester.
The royal garden parties were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. They resumed last year but Queen Elizabeth II was represented by other members of the royal family before her death in September.
Three royal garden parties are usually held every summer season. The royal family has said that more than 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are served throughout the events.
The UK is gearing up for the King and Queen Consort's coronation on Saturday, more than 70 years after Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.
