When I started volunteering for a charity, I was more excited to see how I could help those in a similar situation to mine. I wanted to educate and empower and never expected to have so many amazing experiences in return. Every year the Queen holds a royal garden party to celebrate the charities that her and the royal family support.
Being part of one of those charities, I found myself with a golden ticket this year and have been internally screaming that I was going to be stepping into the gates of the most famous palace in England with some of my best charity friends.
For me, the dress was the most stressful part and after months of searching I settled on the gorgeous Lady Voluptuous dress from Yours Clothing which left me feeling absolutely amazing. I teamed it with some flats from Deichmann and a bag from Debenhams.
After a brand new haircut from my favourite stylist Leanne at Autumnbelle (she can make my hair go from gross to amazing!) and a fantastic makeover from Scott's cousin who made me feel like a princess, I was ready to go!
Heading into the palace gates was one of the most surreal experiences ever. Knowing that you were entering a garden that isn't open to the public was a bit exciting and after seeing so many photos of it I couldn't wait to bask in the sun in a fantastic environment. I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful gardens that I had ever been in. I honestly didn't want to leave and I was gutted we were only there for a few hours as we could have spent all day looking at the gorgeous grounds.
Within half an hour of us turning up, one of the bands started playing the national anthem and the Queen emerged from the palace and walked to the royal tea tent. It was such a strange experience when you see someone you've see in in the public eye so much literally in the flesh in front of you. To say it was exciting was an understatement.
By this time though, the hunger pangs were kicking in. And after hearing so many good things about the food at the garden party, I couldn't wait to tuck in. Let's face it, saying you've eaten some food at Buckingham Palace is a pretty fantastic claim. With finger sandwiches stuffed with cucumber, to smoked salmon bites and heavenly cakes, I can honestly say it was some of the best food we had tasted. Each thing was like a little burst of flavour that was so rich yet so moreish. My favourites had to be the salted caramel eclair and the lemon and passionfruit tart. If I could have those recipes then I would be a happy woman!
Finally with the day drawing to a close, we decided to head to the lawn to see the Queen head back into the palace. Luckily for us, we managed to squeeze our way to the front of the line and we ended up merely metres from her. She honestly looked fantastic for 92 years old and I couldn't actually believe she was right in front of me.
As the day ended we headed through the palace itself to make our way home. Grabbing a photo outside the palace gates, we all couldn't wrap our heads around the fact that we had been in Buckingham Palace, that we had spent a fantastic day there. Still to this day, I can't actually believe I was there. it feels like some amazing dream and something that I never expected.
When I started volunteering for the Young Women's Trust, I never expected anything like this to happen. I was happy sharing my story and thinking I was making a difference. But I can honestly say it was one of the best days ever and whilst I sat exhausted on the train home, I couldn't believe how lucky I was.
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