~~I hope they were all served a hot cuppa ~~

Perhaps some of the 8,000 guests who had dressed in keeping with the UK's recent sunny spell had been a little optimistic as they arrived for the Queen's first garden party of the summer. Wellington boots and umbrellas would've been more appropriate than hats and summer dresses after guests had to wade through puddles at Buckingham Palace following torrential rain. And celebrations had to be cut short following Britain's heaviest downpour since records began in 1865. Fortunately the British monarch and her husband Prince Philip had completed their walkabout before the heavens opened, and managed to stay dry. But as giant hail stones and three inches of rain bombarded the royal lawn among a series of thunder bolts, the thousands of guests weren't so lucky and were forced to take cover under a marquee.