King Charles receives huge praise for 'amazing' Congress address
King Charles III has received huge praise for his speech in Congress at the Buckingham Palace garden party this afternoon.
Overcast conditions failed to diminish the celebratory atmosphere as attendees arrived in vibrant dresses, formal lounge suits and traditional national dress to enjoy refreshments on the palace grounds.
Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester joined the King and Queen for the afternoon gathering, which also coincided with the third anniversary of the King's coronation.
The monarch looked dashing in a black suit and top hat, a crisp cream waistcoat and pale blue tie, which synchronised nicely with Queen Camilla, who wore a Fiona Clare coat dress paired with a wide-brimmed hat.
During the celebration, the King received huge plaudits for his 30-minute speech to US Congress last week.
One guest remarked: "I loved your speech in America. It was amazing, and it made me laugh so much."
"Thank you very much," King Charles replied with a laugh.
The monarch has been widely praised for his record-breaking address during the State Visit, including from the President himself, who claimed he was "jealous" of the speech.
Among the 8,000 granted an invitation to this afternoon's party was Claire Swinbourne, a team leader paramedic from the North East Ambulance Service who endured a harrowing attack while working alone on Christmas Day last year.
The 42-year-old from Northumberland had stopped to assist a solitary man seated on a roundabout in an isolated location when he became severely agitated and physically attacked her.
His Majesty spoke directly about the gravity of such incidents during their conversation.
Ms Swinbourne recounted: "He mentioned that assaults on emergency workers aren't acceptable, and he asked how I'd overcome that and it's about helping people."raphs
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She added: "I didn't join the service to be assaulted, I joined the service to help people, and that's what I continue to do."
Ms Swinbourne has served as a paramedic for more than two decades, yet the assault left her with debilitating injuries that persist nearly six months later.
Her right arm was severely damaged in the attack, and she continues to experience numbness in her fingers.
The perpetrator received a suspended prison sentence for the offence.
Her colleagues nominated her for the garden party invitation in recognition of her subsequent campaigning to highlight violence against emergency workers.
Despite initial reservations about whether she merited such an honour, Ms Swinbourne embraced the occasion.
"It makes me feel overwhelmed in that, 'am I deserved of it?', but yes, I am, and it's about enjoying the day," she said.
"The more we explain that it's not acceptable and that it won't be tolerated it won't happen, and we will push for prosecution."
The Queen, meanwhile, devoted her attention to representatives from various charitable organisations, including SafeLives, the domestic abuse charity for which she serves as patron.
The organisation delivers training programmes to professionals and frontline responders while providing direct support to survivors of abuse.
Her Majesty's involvement with SafeLives forms part of her broader commitment to championing victims of assault, rape and sexual abuse.
Speaking with trustee Elizabeth Hughes, the Queen expressed her satisfaction with the charity's progress.
"I'm so pleased, because it's really taken off and I'm very, very pleased to be a part of it," she said, describing their work as "such a fantastic job."
Wednesday's gathering was the first of three palace garden parties scheduled for May, with a fourth planned for the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh come June.
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