King Charles decided to follow in the footsteps of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, one more time but this time, it was almost impossible to do.
The King, along with Queen Camilla, decided to recreate one of the late Queen’s most famous moments.
Back in 2021, during a visit to the Eden Project in Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II insisted on cutting a giant cake with a sword. As King Charles and Queen Camilla made their own visit, they decided to do exactly the same thing but the cake this time almost won the battle.
(Photo from The Eden Project)
With The King and Queen both in full action mode, they attempted to slice through a stunning cake that was the centrepiece of the first Big Lunch of 2026. The Big Lunch, of which Queen Camilla is patron, is held every year to encourage people to share food and time with others in their local community.
This royal launch brought together groups from around Cornwall for a celebration. But the almost missed out on a slice of cake as The King and Queen battled to cut the treat up for them.
Queen Camilla is a notoriously expert cake cutter and has sliced up many sweet treats presented to her with a flourish. She had also witnessed the famous cake cutting of Queen Elizabeth at the Eden Project as she’d attended the Big Lunch in 2021 at which the incident took place, alongside the now Princess of Wales.
The King and Queen eventually managed to complete the initial slicing of the cake, helped by the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho.
(Photo from The Eden Project)
The Big Lunch visit also celebrated another milestone for the Eden Project. It turns 25 this year and King Charles and Queen Camilla enjoyed a visit to some of its star attractions to mark the anniversary.
Part of the celebrations includes the brand new Giant Marble Runs. There are eight new marble runs, covering over 100 metres, and they’ve been designed to encourage people to play in nature. Some of the marbles have been created from trees that were knocked down in the storms that hit Cornwall earlier this year.
There were special marbles for the royal visitors, made from a felled ash, and local school children were on hand to help with the game. The design is also focused on delivering an charitable aim of the Eden Project – nature recovery.
(Photo from The Eden Project)
There was also a chance to meet helpers, volunteers and funders involved in this year’s Big Lunch. The 2026 weekend is on June 5-8 and is combining forces with the Big Help Out, the initiative started in 2023 to encourage people to volunteer in their local communities. It was first held to mark the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The double event this year is called the Big Do! Peter Stewart, Eden Project Director Emeritus and responsible for the Big Lunch, said ”it was an honour to share the impact of Eden’s work over the past quarter century with them and to look ahead to the charity’s future with the launch of The Big Lunch and The Big Help Out, which we hope will encourage the whole nation to get in the party spirit by taking action and making a positive difference where they live this year.”
Queen Camilla has been patron of the Big Lunch since 2013 and often takes part in the community celebrations around the country.
As the latest approaches, we can expect a lot more cake cutting as she leads celebrations.
If you want more information on organising our own Big Do, there’s lots more on the official website.
