A Royal Afternoon to Remember: MWF at Buckingham Palace
By Katie Balamanoharan, MWF Executive Officer
The Medical Women’s Federation was honoured to receive an invitation from our patron, The Duchess of Gloucester, to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace on 20th May 2025. I had the privilege of attending alongside Dr Nuthana Prathivadi Bhayankaram (former MWF Vice President), Dr Becs Winterborn (MWF Honorary Secretary) and Professor Rashmi Mathew (MWF co-Honorary Treasurer).
It was a beautiful day, and the sun was shining down on the palace as the gates opened at 3pm. We were told to report to a Gentlemen Usher on arrival so we could be arranged for presentation, and it was explained that we would be presented to The Duchess of Gloucester at 4pm when the royals would join the party. That gave us a 30-minute window to quickly join the tea tent queue where we enjoyed some refreshing drinks and an irresistible selection of cakes and sandwiches.
It was a real pleasure to be presented to The Duchess of Gloucester who remembered that the MWF conference had taken place just a few days earlier and asked how it had gone. After meeting The Duchess, we had the chance to wonder through the beautiful Palace gardens and we spotted several members of the Royal Family including The Prince and Princess of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Eugenie, and Zara Tindall.
The atmosphere on the day was amazing with two military bands playing upbeat songs throughout the afternoon. Vegan ice-cream was served, and we got to explore the gardens and meet lots of lovely people including colleagues from The British Geriatrics Society, and, a special shout-out to Karl from the Livery Companies who offered to take many photos of us in front of various Royals!
Overall, it was a magical experience and absolutely a day to remember.
