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King Charles and Queen Camilla attended a garden party at the residence of the British Ambassador last night after touching down in Washington DC. And among the guests were representatives of causes close to the royals’ hearts, including charities working with survivors of domestic abuse, a cause the Queen has worked to help combat for many years.
“To have someone of her stature to give notoriety to this cause is very important,” Sandra Jackson, CEO of the House of Ruth (pictured above), said of Queen Camilla. “The fact that she has taken up this cause that is very dear to her heart allows people to know that it’s real, this is happening and how they can also support.” Whenasked about the question of the King and Queen meeting survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, something the palace says that the couple cannot do while legal proceedings are under way, Sandra Jackson said, “I respect their decision.”
Natalia Otero from organization DC Safe spoke to the Queen about how advocates have “gone a long way in demystifying domestic violence.” And Gretchen Shaw of the National Domestic Violence Hotline added, “She said to me that she feels there have been great strides made in recent years to bring awareness to the issue. She’s been a champion of this issue for years and it’s lovely to see her here—we’re just thrilled she made time to speak to us.”
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Queen Camilla speaks with former Olympian Tom Daley.
The garden party was the couple’s second event of the day after greeting the President and First Lady on the White House lawn. Around 600 people from the worlds of business, culture and philanthropy joined the King and Queen at British Ambassador Sir Christian Turner’s official residence.
Guests were served afternoon tea with selection of sandwiches filled with Scottish smoked salmon, roast beef and horseradish, West Country cheddar and fig or cucumber and dill. Scones with strawberries and Devonshire clotted cream, Bakewell tart, ginger cake and Victoria sponge were also on the menu. Tea was provided by Fortnum & Mason, and a sparking English wine from Hambledon vineyard in southern England was also served.
Among the guests was British Olympic diver and well-known knitting enthusiast Tom Daley. He spoke to the King about knitting, and King Charles even revealed he took up the hobby when he was young. “He said he used to knit when he was eight years old. He said he wasn’t very good at it but said he knew it was very good for mental health and maybe should give it another go,” Daley said.
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.