The King and Queen held their first garden party of the summer season today.
But there was only one star of the show.
Vegas, two, a Hearing Dog for the Deaf who managed to jump up at three senior royals – Their Majesties and the Princess Royal.
And not only did the adorable two-year-old cocker spaniel get away with it, but she decided to go for an encore and start digging up the Buckingham Palace lawn, leaving Princess Anne roaring with laughter and promising not to tell her brother.
The event saw 8,000 worthy members of the public – many first responders – invited to enjoy tea, cucumber sandwiches and cake in the gardens of the King’s official London residence.
They were largely chosen for their good work by Lord Lieutenants up and down the country, the official representatives of the monarch in each administrative county.
Despite the unseasonable chill, the visitors turned up in their finery and the band struck up rousing versions of Stevie Wonder and Austin Powers hits to keep the mood up.
The King was first to encounter Vegas with her owner, Kate Wilson, 52, from Horsham, West Sussex.
The pup didn’t stand on ceremony, jumping up and licking the sovereign’s hand furiously.
Support dog Vegas lept up to King Charles and started licking the sovereign’s hand furiously at the first Royal Garden Party of the summer at Buckingham Palace
Princess Anne greeted Vegas – trained by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People charity – with great enthusiasm
Owner Kate Wilson, 52, said ‘having Vegas has changed everything’ for her life
He didn’t appear to mind her paws on his morning suit at all, however, and fondly stroked her head.
‘They do hearing dogs too, now? Marvellous,’ he said.
Vegas’ encounter with Queen Camilla – dressed in an elegant pale blue Fiona Clare suit and matching Philip Treacy hat with a moonstone brooch from her private collection – occurred away from the cameras.
But she stole the limelight again with Princess Anne who is patron of the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf charity.
Stopping to say hello, the King’s sister was equally unfazed, bending down as Vegas jumped up wagging her tail.
Anne beamed from ear to ear and bent down to her level. ‘Is it everyone or is it just me?’ she cooed.
‘How old is she? Have you had one before?’ she enquired.
‘She’s two and no, she’s my first one,’ said Kate.
‘Ooh, ‘ said the princess, ‘and does she help you? That’s all working well?’
‘Oh she really helps me,’ said Kate. ‘I am a teacher and she has changed my life.’
At this point in the conversation Vegas appeared to be getting a little bored and started digging frantically at the lawn.
Kate apologised but Anne smiled and waved her hands. ‘Oh it’s quite alright,’ she said.
‘It’s a good size,’ she smiled, clearly as much of a judge of dogs as she is of horses.
Vegas decided to increase her digging efforts in order to show how bored she was.
‘I think she’s digging for truffles,’ Kate joked, to which Anne whipped back: ‘Good luck with that! Let me know if you find any!’
Vegas’ owner said afterwards: ‘She’s a wonderful lady with all the work she does. I’m a teacher and having Vegas has changed everything for me. It means she can alert me to things that are going on or alarms going off. And it means my son can leave me alone without worrying.
‘It’s been life-changing.
‘She does jump up a little but everyone took it in their stride.’
The King was also accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester who spent more than an hour going round and speaking to guests.
Princess Anne assured Kate – who works as a teacher – it was ‘quite alright’ as Vegas dug up the lawn at Buckingham Palace and promised not to tell her brother Charles
Kate said that Princess Anne was a ‘wonderful lady with all the work she does’
Oblivious to royal protocol, Vegas happily got stuck in with the King, surrounded byYeomen of the Guard
A woman in the crowd told the King she ‘loved’ his speech in the US last week, and Charles thanked her ‘very much’
Queen Camilla – dressed in an elegant pale blue Fiona Clare suit and matching Philip Treacy hat with a moonstone brooch from her private collection – met Vegas away from the cameras
Yeomen of the Guard watched of the garden party dressed in their bright coloured livery
The king tried to speak and understand a little Welsh, saying he need to keep practising, and was told by one lady in the crowd: ‘I loved your speech [in America last week]. It was amazing and made me laugh so much.’
‘Oh thank you very much,’ he beamed.
He also chatted sympathetically to Claire Swinburne, 42, a paramedic leader from Northumberland, who was attacked by a man when she stopped to help him after seeing him sitting on a roundabout at 4am on Christmas Day last year in a very remote area.
‘I did what I was trained to do and stopped to see if he was alright. He became very distressed and attacked me. I was on my own as I was a solo responder. I had to wait 10 minutes for the police. I was injured and he debilitated my right arm. I had no sensation in it and still suffer finger sensation loss now.
‘But it doesn’t change me as a paramedic. I have done it for 21 years and still love it. I wouldn’t change it and wouldn’t let one individual change my career path. He was prosecuted and got a suspended sentence because of how remorseful he was. It wasn’t going to be beneficial for him to go to jail. He was so remorseful and ashamed.
‘The king said assaults on emergency workers are unacceptable. It was such an honour to be here and so overwhelming. ‘
Queen Camilla met with hundreds of members of the public and charity workers including from one of the domestic abuse charities she supports, Safe Lives.
‘You do a fantastic job, ‘ she told them.
