London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Queen uses SWORD to cut cake during Eden Project engagement

Queen uses SWORD to cut cake during Eden Project engagement

The monarch used the sword to cut a large cake marking the Big Lunch, which the Duchess of Cornwall is patron of.

The Queen insisted on borrowing a ceremonial sword to cut a cake during a royal engagement – prompting laughter from the Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge.

The monarch had been handed the sword by Edward Bolitho, the Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall, for the task of cutting a large cake marking the Big Lunch at the Eden Project.

When told by an aide that there was a conventional knife available, the Queen replied: “I know there is, this is more unusual”.

The Queen's use of the sword amused Kate and Camilla


The Duchess of Cornwall commented: “That’s slicing through” before assisting with the final part of cutting the cake, which was loudly applauded by those at the event.

After handing the ceremonial sword back, the Queen used a knife to cut a second slice of cake and remarked: “That looks very good.”

Peter Stewart, executive director of the Eden Project, introduced around 20 guests who had been invited to the event to the three royals.

“It is like comets – they don’t come around very often,” Mr Stewart said.

“I was trying to remember the last time that the three were on an official engagement together like this. I can only think of one at Fortnum and Mason but this was something else.

“The important thing for me was there was every reason not to do it.

“The fact that they judged that with the eyes of the G7 that there was an opportunity – with the risk of missing trains and everything else – to be able to listen to some of the heartfelt stories of people here.

“It was absolutely priceless.”

The Queen cutting a cake


Earlier, the Queen hosted an open-air reception at the Eden Project and was joined by the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden, were pictured chatting to the royals.

The Queen spoke to people at the Big Lunch event, held outdoors at a separate area of the Eden Project, about seeing the world leaders face-to-face following a year of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Stewart described how the monarch discussed “communicating over Zoom and so-forth” due to coronavirus.

“She was talking about the fact she usually meets world leaders and she hasn’t met them for two years and she brought that back to the importance of everyday life and getting to know our neighbours,” he added.

The Queen met people from communities across Cornwall at the Eden Project in celebration of The Big Lunch initiative


The Big Lunch is an annual get-together for neighbours and communities, with people encouraged to share friendship, food and to get to know each other better.

It has been running since 2009 and is an idea from the Eden Project, supported by the National Lottery.

The Duchess of Cornwall is patron of the event and celebrated its 10-year anniversary during a lunch at the Eden Project in 2019.

Over the past two years, it has run online due to Covid-19 but next year it will form an official part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Mr Stewart paid tribute to the guests who attended Friday’s engagement, who had been nominated for their services, particularly during the pandemic.

“There was a moment where Her Majesty was talking to a lady called Irene Rowe, who was a care worker for 20 years and caught Covid and recovered and has returned to work,” he said.

“She came home and gave Covid to her husband, who sadly died. She asked Her Majesty how she was and gave sympathy to her for losing her own husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.”

Programme director at the Eden Project, Lindsey Brummitt, shows a scale model of Big Lunch events to the royals


Mrs Rowe, 65, from Helston, spoke to both the Queen and Kate about the death of husband Malcolm, 62, in February this year.

After telling the Queen about her loss, she was asked how she was coping.

“I said you have been the same – you’ve just carried on like I have,” Mrs Rowe, a grandmother-of-eight, said.

“I said you have to carry on. I have good work, friends and family. People have been very kind.

“Kate touched my arm when I told her about my husband and said ‘oh no’.

“She was really caring and very nice, they both were.

“She asked if we got to see him in the hospital and I said we couldn’t, we weren’t allowed to.”

At the conclusion of the event, the Queen, Camilla and Kate left in separate vehicles.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×