The Princess Royal and the Duke of Kent hosted a garden party in honour of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution at Buckingham Palace.
On 23 May, Princess Anne and The Duke of Kent hosted over 2,500 RNLI staff members, volunteers, and family members for a garden party at the palace. While the garden parties are always a special occasion for those invited, this was particularly meaningful as the RNLI is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.
The royals hosting garden parties will circulate so that all guests have a few moments to speak with them. Princess Anne spent some time with Penlee RNLI coxswain Patrick ‘Patch’ Harvey to present him with the Silver Medal for Gallantry. The medal is to thank him for his role in helping to save eight French sailors during an October 2022 hurricane.
As the RNLI shared, Harvey was excited to meet the Princess Royal: ”To be presented with my silver medal, by HRH The Princess Royal, in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, with my wife Nina, and my crew beside me and in front of other volunteers and staff from the charity was amazing. It felt very special and means a huge amount.”
The Royal National Lifeboat Institute was founded as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck in 1824, and was renamed the Royal National Lifeboat Institute in 1854.
