The Queen is to attend a garden party at Milton Hill House, near Abingdon, to celebrate the diamond anniversary of the Women's Royal Voluntary Service.

Among the volunteers the Queen will meet at the party will be those who helped mourners following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Many provided refreshments to thousands of people who stood for hours waiting to sign the Books of Condolences in The Mall last year.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said that, as patron, the Queen was delighted to attend the party taking place on Friday, June 26.

The Queen will tour the grounds of the house, plant a tree and cut an anniversary cake to celebrate the 60th birthday of the WRVS, which is the UK's largest practical voluntary organisation and boasts 120,000 members.

Previous news story

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.