King Charles Upstaged by Unexpected Guest at Garden Party — and Anne Had the Funniest Response
As King Charles and Princess Anne mingled with attendees, they encountered an overenthusiastic guest who greeted them with a boisterous welcome.
King Charles pulled out all the stops for Buckingham Palace's first Royal Garden Party on May 6, but adorably, one four-legged guest ended up stealing the spotlight. As the monarch and Princess Anne mingled with attendees, they encountered Vegas, a spirited spaniel hearing assistance dog, who could barely contain her excitement around the royals. The 2-year-old pooch leapt up to lick Charles's hand before enthusiastically wagging her tail at Anne, prompting her to ask a hilariously relatable question.
The adorable pooch was introduced by her owner, Kate Wilson, from Horsham. Of course, the Cocker Spaniel could not curtsey or bow like us humans, so she greeted Charles and Anne with a boisterous tail wag instead. As reported by the Daily Mail, when the Princess Royal encountered the dog, she jokingly asked, "Is it everyone or is it just me?" in reference to the pup's excited greeting. When Wilson shared that Vegas was her first hearing assistance dog, she followed up by asking, "And does she help you? That's all working well?" "Oh, she really helps me. I am a teacher, and she has changed my life," Wilson replied with a smile. Watch the video here!
On that note, while Wilson and Anne discussed the 'life-changing' impact Vegas had made on her daily routine, the four-legged companion grew a bit restless and hilariously began digging in the palace lawn. Anne, who's her mother's daughter when it comes to her love for dogs, quipped, "Oh, it's quite all right. It's a good size." Vegas was trained by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, a UK-based charity that supports deaf people through specially trained assistance dogs. Interestingly, Anne has been the charity's royal patron since 1992, making her interaction with Vegas especially befitting.
As for Charles's garden party, while Anne, Queen Camilla, and Prince Edward proudly stood on the garden steps, Prince William and Kate Middleton were notably missing, reportedly due to scheduling issues. Two more garden parties are scheduled in May at Buckingham Palace, along with a party on May 14th to honor the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust. Around 4,000 attendees, volunteers, staff, and supporters are expected to gather in the palace gardens for the milestone event. Guests are usually welcomed through the palace gates at 3 pm local time and are treated with cake and tea.