A memorable Royal garden party with Waitrose and KCCF grantees

Royal garden party season resumed at Buckingham Palace on the 7th May with our Founder, The King and members of the Royal family, hosting guests nominated by charities. Royal garden parties serve not only as a celebration of His Majesty’s enduring commitment to charitable work but also as a testament to the incredible achievements of community organisations, our supporters and beneficiaries.

King Charles III Charitable Fund (KCCF) hosted a pre-garden party lunch for our partners at Waitrose and grantees from Together Productions, Plantlife International, and Southwark and London Community Kitchen. This event preceded the Royal garden party, which recognized the work of community organisations, KCCF partners, and beneficiaries contributing to positive changes in the UK and beyond. 

Read on to learn more about how our guests contribute to our mission – transforming lives and building sustainable communities. 

Waitrose  

Thirty-five years ago, The King (formerly Prince of Wales) established the Duchy Originals brand with an organic oat biscuit made from wheat grown at Highgrove’s Home Farm. The goal was to support small farmers, provide high-quality natural food to consumers, and promote sustainable farming practices that protect the environment. Duchy Originals was licensed to Waitrose in 2009, and the brand evolved into the Waitrose Duchy Organic range, which includes over 200 organic products.

In 2024, Waitrose acquired full ownership of the brand. KCCF has received over £40 million in royalty income from sales of Waitrose Duchy Organic products to fund our charitable work since the brand was licensed to Waitrose in 2009. The pre-garden party lunch offered Waitrose Partners a valuable chance to meet our beneficiaries and see first-hand how the royalties enable KCCF to transform lives and build sustainable communities. 

Plantlife International

KCCF has supported Plantlife since 2014, and the organisation is one of our strategic partners. Based in Wiltshire, Plantlife is the only UK charity solely dedicated to the conservation of wild plants, fungi, and their natural habitats. 

Their vital work includes practical conservation initiatives, policy advocacy, management of nature reserves, and educational programmes designed to reconnect communities with their local biodiversity. Through our partnership, KCCF is supporting Plantlife’s mission to foster a world abundant in wild flora and fungi, improving well-being and inspiring collective action to protect species and ecosystems for future generations. Discover more about Plantlife’s work here. 

Adult and Teen at Ranscombe Farm © Paul Meyler. 

Southwark and London Community Kitchen  

Southwark and London Community Kitchen is on a mission to provide culinary empowerment nourishing skills and spirits. This dynamic grassroots initiative was founded in 2014 by local champion Mike Donovan. Over the past decade, it has served as a vital lifeline for residents across Southwark and beyond, offering inclusive training, nourishment, and opportunity. 

The community kitchen offers accredited City & Guilds Levels 1 and 2 cookery qualifications for young adults aged 18 to 40. This training aims to assist them in transitioning into full-time employment through an extensive employer network. Additionally, the organisation runs a community café and a mobile catering trailer, providing participants with practical experience in food service and business operations. 

The kitchen also plays a critical role in community wellbeing, offering free meal services for up to 100 elderly and vulnerable residents, and courses in food hygiene, allergen awareness, and healthy eating on a budget. The initiative has expanded in recent years to include urban gardening projects on local estates, encouraging sustainable living and community connection. 

KCCF is supporting the delivery of healthy cooking classes for 64 young people aged 11–25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). These sessions aim to boost participants’ nutritional knowledge, confidence, teamwork, and overall well-being. Find out more about Southwark and London Community Kitchen here. 

Together Productions

Together Productions is a pioneering UK-based organisation that brings together people from different backgrounds, especially those facing social exclusion or displacement, through collaborative and participatory arts. Their inclusive projects nurture creativity, build communities, and promote dialogue and understanding across cultural and social divides. 

KCCF is proud to support The Sing for Freedom Choir, an inspiring initiative by Together Productions that unites refugees, asylum seekers (including survivors of torture), and local Londoners through choral singing. By rehearsing and performing together, participants build strong, empathetic bonds that extend to audiences and the wider community, reinforcing solidarity and hope through the shared power of music. 

Explore Together Productions and their projects here.