What the royal family was up to ahead of the General Election

A glittering state banquet hosted by the King, the re-emergence of a princess, and the pomp and ceremony of the Order of the Garter procession were among the royal celebrations which went ahead despite the election.

When a rain-soaked Rishi Sunak announced his surprise summer vote on May 22, Buckingham Palace said the royal family would postpone appearances “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign”.

A visit by the King to Crewe, due to take place two days later, which centred on a tour of a Bentley factory and a community centre supporting people struggling financially, was swiftly cancelled until further notice.

Heir to the throne the Prince of Wales also pulled out of a day of previously unannounced engagements.

But big ceremonial events such Trooping the Colour, marking the King’s official birthday and featuring the Princess of Wales’s first official engagement since her cancer diagnosis, went ahead to the delight of royal fans.

Kate joined William and their children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, on the Buckingham Palace balcony and in a candid message ahead of her appearance revealed she is making good progress, but is “not out of the woods yet” and has “good days and “bad days”.

The princess said she has a few more months of chemotherapy left, and is learning “to be patient, especially with uncertainty”.

The King, who has also been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, and Queen forged ahead with their D-Day 80th anniversary appearances in Portsmouth and Normandy in June.

Both appeared emotional at the poignant service in remembrance of the fallen.

But the commemorations turned into a major blunder for Mr Sunak, when he was heavily criticised for returning early and missing an international ceremony to record a television interview.

In late June, the King and Queen hosted the Japanese Emperor during his state visit to the UK.

Charles greeted Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, with a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade and toasted the two nations’ friendship at a Buckingham Palace banquet, with the King’s speech referencing Japanese pop culture figures Hello Kitty and Pokemon.

“The Pokemon phrase, gotta catch ’em all, may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, aspirational,” the King quipped.

The three-day state visit was the first time in living memory a foreign head of state has toured the UK as the nation prepared to go to the polls.

There was no occasion during Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign of an incoming state visit being staged in the timespan between the calling of a general election and polling day.

In 2017, a Spanish state visit by King Felipe VI was quickly rescheduled – following an agreement by the late Queen and King Felipe – because the date clashed with a snap election in the UK.

The Japanese state visit was adapted slightly to account for the election.

Missing was the visiting head of state’s usual trip to Downing Street and meetings with opposition leaders, and the sometime address to the Palace of Westminster.

But Prime Minister Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both attended the white tie banquet.

Sir Keir, who is widely expected to be the next prime minister according to polling ahead of the election, was placed next to the King’s right-hand man, his private secretary Sir Clive Alderton, on the horseshoe shaped table in the Ballroom.

Other events in the run-up to polling day included the Order of the Garter ceremony.

The King and Queen joined the Garter Ladies and Knights in their velvet robes and plumed hats in procession to St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in celebration of the country’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry.

The royal family was also out in force for the racing at Royal Ascot in Berkshire.

And as election day neared, the King, Queen, the Prince of Wales and Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh travelled to Edinburgh for a shortened Holyrood Week.

The annual trip to Scotland was condensed to just two days to give the King time to return to London to be ready to appoint a prime minister, with engagements designed with political sensitivity in light of the July 4 election.

Camilla and Edward, on the eve of polling day, were formally installed as members of Scotland’s greatest order of chivalry, the Order of the Thistle, during a service at St Giles’ Cathedral attended by Charles, William and Sophie.

Other events saw the King try a dram of Macallan single malt Scotch whisky as he attended a celebration at Edinburgh Castle to mark the 900th Anniversary of the City of Edinburgh.

The Sovereign Grant report – the annual rundown of royal finances – was also delayed because the accounts must be laid before Parliament, which was dissolved because of the election.

Meanwhile, there was a further health blow for the royal family when the Princess Royal was hospitalised for five nights on June 23.

Anne, 73, is convalescing at home after suffering concussion and minor head injuries when she was kicked or headbutted by a horse while out walking on her Gatcombe Park estate.