Last week, Queen Camilla had tea with a little child after he missed a previous royal engagement.
Last month, Tony Hudgell, 9, was unable to attend a formal garden party with his family due to traffic. “Stuck on M20 for the last two hours,” Tony’s mother, Paula Hudgell, tweeted on X (previously Twitter) at the time. “I won’t be making the King’s Garden Party.”
In response, the royal family’s official account tweeted, “Sorry to hear this, Tony! We were looking forward to meeting you, too. Want to try again another day? Leave it to us.”
Shortly after, on Wednesday, June 26, Queen Camilla, 76, sponsored an event that Tony, a double amputee, and his family attended.
Lyla O’Donovan, a 12-year-old girl battling a rare brain tumor and missing the May garden party due to illness, and her family also joined them.
After arriving at Buckingham Palace, both children and their families witnessed the changing of the guard before joining Camilla in the garden’s summer house. After that, they embarked on a special tour of Buckingham Palace’s Royal Mews.
During the event, Queen Camilla awarded Tony the British Empire Medal (BEM) in recognition of his nomination for the 2024 New Year Honours. The youngster co-founded the Tony Hudgell Foundation.
Paula remarked about the thrilling event, “We were all extremely honored to have received an invitation to Buckingham Palace for afternoon tea with the Queen—an experience we would never have dreamed of.” “Everyone was so kind and thoughtful and made us feel comfortable and relaxed.”
“Tony chatted to the Queen as if they were old friends, and she was lovely with him, and [it was] an exceptionally proud moment when the Queen gave Tony his BEM,” she recalled. “We would like to thank everyone who made this one of the most memorable days we will ever have.”
🫖 🍰 When Tony and Lyla came to tea … pic.twitter.com/LTfLrPDjT7
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 1, 2024
North Yorkshire Council honored Lyla as the Inspirational Service Child of the Year at their inaugural Service Children’s Awards last month.
“Everyone made us feel so comfortable and made me feel super special, so thank you for this,” Lyla said of her time with Queen Camilla. We extend our heartfelt gratitude and feel incredibly fortunate to have received this invitation.