See All the Best Photos from Queen Elizabeth's First Garden Party of the Season

Every summer, Queen Elizabeth hosts three garden parties at Buckingham Palace, and another at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland, inviting distinguished members of the public for tea on the grounds. The royal family sees these events as "an important way for The Queen to speak to a broad range of people from all walks of life, all of whom have made a positive impact in their community."

And today, the royal family's Twitter handle explained that they have been held since the mid-1800s and "are now a way of recognising and rewarding public service."

At this afternoon's party, Prince Charles is stepping in for the Queen, and mingling with the guests. His wife Camilla and his sister Princess Anne also joined him. See all the best photos from today's event right here.

Camilla, Princess Anne, and Prince Charles arrive at the garden party. Thus far, a reason has not been given as to why the Queen chose to skip today's event.

Here are the three hosts once again.

Prince Charles speaks with invited guests to today's garden party.

Prince Charles speaks with Iva Barr, one of the world's oldest marathon runners. According to Clarence House, Barr "competed in the first ever London Marathon in 1981 and was the oldest person to run the race in 2016."

Camilla is greeted by an attendee.

Another photo of Prince Charles interacting with the crowd!

The crowd of guests at today's party at Buckingham Palace. Over the course of multiple garden parties, more than 30,000 guests will be invited to spend time in the gardens of Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

A scene of the guests mingling in the garden.

This photo of one of the guests was taken from the room of Buckingham Palace.