Her Majesty The Queen Camilla joined bee enthusiasts, celebrities, artists, bee experts and gardeners, to show her support for the specialist bee charity Bees for Development. The world-leading charity is this year celebrating 30 years of working to unlock the benefits of beekeeping to help people out of poverty in some of the world’s poorest nations, while at the same time supporting their biodiversity.

The Queen met with the charity’s beekeeping partners from across the Commonwealth and viewed displays of beekeeping from all around the world. This unique bee-themed celebration included Bee Madrigals not heard for 400 years, bee art and installations– all taking place within the beautiful bee and flag-filled Pall-Mall gardens of Marlborough House. And couture milliner Alison Tod certainly had bees in her bonnet – with mannequins elegantly displaying bee-inspired millinery!

To raise funds for the vital work of the charity, the Bee Garden Party featured an auction of Bee Art contributed by 100s of celebrities and artists, including internationally acclaimed author and illustrator Charles Mackesy, Turner prize winning artists Richard Long and Grayson Perry, actors Hugh Bonneville, Alan Cumming and Martin Clunes, fashion legend Dame Twiggy, the world’s top honey bee ecologist Professor Tom Seeley, and many other of the charity’s supporters. A highlight of the evening was the Auction hosted by TV presenter and bee enthusiast Gyles Brandreth and auctioneer Charlie Ross.

Charity Patron and BBC Radio 4 Presenter, Martha Kearney, says:

“We are thrilled that Her Majesty The Queen joined us again at our fundraiser and took part in some of our bee activities, enjoying Leonie Bradley’s ‘Swarm’ whose art brings alive the importance of bees, inspiring everyone to take small positive actions to protect them. Her Majesty particularly enjoyed seeing the numbers of artists and celebrities who have been inspired to create this beautiful display of bee art. All money raised from the event helps people to move out of poverty through beekeeping and to preserve some precious habitats in the poorest nations”.

Dr Nicola Bradbear, founder of Bees for Development, says:

“We are shining a light on these powerful insects – they make our lives possible by maintaining biodiversity. Our charity, HM The Queen as the former Duchess of Cornwall was President of Bees for Development, enables some of the world’s poorest people to build a good living from beekeeping – creating income to send their children to school, while enriching the environment too”.

Guests, many sporting bee fashion at the star-studded Bee Garden Party, enjoyed mead, honey-infused cocktails and canapés, opportunities to meet Bees for Development’s international bee colleagues, all to a musical backdrop of singing, steel bands and a brass dectet!