Nine-year-old double amputee gets special royal invite after being stuck in traffic on the way to Palace

A nine-year-old double amputee who missed out on the royal garden party after getting struck in traffic has received a special invitation from the palace to make up for the disappointment.

Tony Hudgell, from West Malling in Kent, was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the prevention of child abuse.

In 2020, he raised £1.8 million for the Evelina Children’s Hospital by walking 10km on his prosthetic legs.

The London hospital is where he was treated after receiving life-changing injuries inflicted by his birth parents when he was a baby.

He was invited to Wednesday’s event at the palace but his adopted mother Paula posted on social media they were stuck on the M20 motorway and would not make the event.

The Royal Family account responded: “Sorry to hear this, Tony! We were looking forward to seeing you too.

“Fancy trying again another day? Leave it with us…”

Around 8,000 people were in attendance for The Sovereign’s Garden Party on a sunny afternoon at Buckingham Palace.

The King laughed and made jokes with guests, including asking Olympic swimmers how long they could hold their breath, as he joined other royal family members at the event on Wednesday.

It comes after Charles returned to public-facing duties last week following his cancer diagnosis and marked the first anniversary of the King and Queen’s coronation.

Charles, wearing a gray suit and light blue waistcoat and tie, smiled to the gathered crowd as he entered the garden from the palace’s Carnarvon Room.

He emerged alongside Camilla who wore a white silk dress by Fiona Clare and a hat by Philip Treacy, as well as a heart-shaped diamond brooch that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The pair were also joined by the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.