The Queen is asked to thank Covid key workers with Buckingham Palace garden party as local councils draw up list of thousands of worthy candidates from nurses to shelf-stackers
- Charities and various businesses will be invited to nominate a ‘community hero’
- Thousands of names are expected to be put forward which could lead to a raffle
- Every summer the Queen normally holds three garden parties at the Palace
The Queen has been asked to thank Covid key workers with a Buckingham Palace garden party.
Local councils have been drawing up lists of thousands of worthy candidates from nurses to shelf-stackers who could potentially be invited.
Under proposals being considered by the Government, the Queen will be asked to host the event.
A Government source told The Mirror: ‘There’s a firm-held belief that this would be a fitting way to celebrate those people who have sacrificed so much on the front line, whether it be in hospitals, care homes, supermarkets or postal staff working tirelessly to keep our country moving.
The Queen (pictured at one of her garden parties last year) has been asked to thank Covid key workers with a Buckingham Palace garden party
‘It is hoped a decision would be made towards the end of the year before proposals could be finalised.’
An insider told the publication that charities and businesses will be invited to nominate a ‘community hero’ they believe should be honoured at the event.
Thousands of names are expected to be put forward which could lead to a raffle system being used to select who will be invited.
Thousands of names are expected to be put forward which could lead to a raffle system being used to select who will be invited. Pictured: the Queen at a garden party in 2017 at Buckingham Palace
A Government source told The Mirror : ‘There’s a firm-held belief that this would be a fitting way to celebrate those people who have sacrificed so much on the front line’. Pictured are NHS staff in Liverpool
The selection process could be similar to the one used for the Queen’s diamond jubilee concert in 2012, when there were 240 applications for each pair of tickets.
A Palace source said ‘any Government proposal would be carefully considered’.
Organisers hope that Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge may also be able to attend.
During lockdown The Queen, 94, broadcast two historic statements to the nation, as well as taking part in her first ever public video call this week to talk to unpaid carers.
During lockdown The Queen, 94, broadcast two historic statements to the nation, as well as taking part in her first ever public video call this week to talk to unpaid carers (pictured)
She joined the Princess Royal, 69, on a conference call with four carers living across the UK who have been responsible for looking after family during the coronavirus crisis.
Speaking from a sitting room at Windsor Castle, the Queen spent 20 minutes listening to the women about their experiences and asking questions about the pressures they face.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have been in joint isolation at Windsor Castle since the start of lockdown.
Every summer the Queen normally holds three garden parties at the Palace to recognise contributions of individuals to national life.