Director of Bedford museum invited to Buckingham Palace

The event, hosted in collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, saw 4,000 guests from the worlds of art, heritage, film, broadcasting and fashion enjoy tea and cake on the palace lawn. The King and Queen, and the Duke of Edinburgh were in attendance

Zara has worked in museums for over 30 years, taking on the role at the Panacea Museum in Bedford in 2022. Additionally, she is also a trustee of Ramsey Rural Museum and Chair of the Museum Managers Network.

Zara said: “Guests were delighted to see the King and Queen, and I came within feet of meeting the King as His Majesty spoke with Tess Daly and Vernon Kay. It was a lovely day and a wonderful celebration of arts, media and heritage in the UK.”

Zara feels that the Panacea Society “would have enjoyed the immaculate lawns, beautiful trees and colourful flowers, as well as the cucumber sandwiches (crusts cut off of course).”

The society believed in signs and dates, and it’s likely it would have found great significance in so many of their most important events having an anniversary in 2024.

The King’s Garden Party took place on the May 15, the same day Southcott’s cradle arrived in Bedford.

The Panacea Society were ardent Royalists and believed in the Divine right of the King. They kept scrapbooks of the royal family and especially followed the progress of Prince Charles as he was then. That the Garden Party took place on the anniversary date of the cradle arriving in Bedford would surely have meant something to them.

The Panacea Museum is holding a day of centenary celebrations on Saturday, May 25, find details here: panaceamuseum.org/events

The museum is open 11am- 5pm, last entry to the museum is 3.30pm.

Entry to the museum and centenary events is free.