King Charles and Camilla lead royal family at ancient Order of the Garter celebrations
The King and Queen took part in the annual Garter Day service at Windsor Castle, marking the start of a busy summer for the royals. Charles and Camilla led other members of the Royal family at the traditional celebration commemorating the ancient Order of the Garter on Monday, 17 June.
This comes just two days after the Trooping the Colour ceremony where Catherine the Princess of Wales made he first public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. Kate Middleton did not attend Garter Day. Ladies and Knights of the Garter processed through the grounds of Windsor Castle for the annual service commemorating the country’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry.
Charles and Camilla followed tradition and were at the back of the procession, dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes as were the other members of the order, including the Prince of Wales, Princess Royal and Duke of Edinburgh.
Among the members of the order processing were the former prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Sir John Major and Baroness Amos. Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, a member of the order, did not join the service.
Andrew stepped down from public life after his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became public. He later paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with Virginia Giuffre, a woman he claimed never to have met.
The King, who was diagnosed with cancer at the start of the year, and Queen Camilla are expected to also attend Royal Ascot in the coming days, and the following week they will host a state visit by Japan’s Emperor.
Hundreds of spectators lined the procession route today, 17 June, with many taking hampers and camping chairs to add a summer picnic feel to the occasion.
At one point between the procession, William looked over to where, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were watching the spectacle and grinned.
Composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber, was made a Knight Companion for the service. The star, whose hit musicals include The Phantom Of The Opera, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, attended a private investiture in the castle’s Garter Throne Room earlier in the day.
Also invested were the Duchess of Gloucester as a Royal Lady of the Garter, as well as Lord Kakkar, emeritus professor of surgery at University College London, and Air Chief Marshal the Lord Peach, who have both been made Knight Companions.
The Garter, founded in 1348 by Edward III, is awarded by the sovereign for outstanding public service and achievements.
