Nigel Farage dubs Prince Harry and Meghan ‘wonderboy and wondergirl’ as MPs meet Charles and Camilla

Reform leader Nigel Farage sarcastically dismissed Harry and Meghan as ‘wonderboy and wondergirl’ for quitting royal duties and moving America while at a Buckingham Palace reception today.

He was invited to the royal residence along with more than 300 new MPs and peers for a ‘welcome’ reception.

He did not speak to the King or Queen because he has met them multiple times before and said he wanted to let other MPs make the most of the occasion.

He joked: ‘Also if I see him I know some of the exchanges will be interesting because we have disagreed in the past over a few things.’

Laughing, he went on to explain that he was the only person not to give the King a standing ovation after he gave a speech at the European Parliament.

‘We’ve had a laugh about it ever since. It’s not nasty,’ he said.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh spoke to Mr Farage separately, however, and when Edward introduced himself, he said: ‘I had a very very good chat with your wife.’

‘Oh right,’ the King’s brother responded before the politician told him: ‘You are working jolly hard.’

Nigel Farage and Richard Tice speaking to the Duchess of Edinburgh during a reception hosted by King Charles

King Charles III and Queen Camilla pictured with Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer

The Duchess of Edinburgh speaking to Tessa Munt during a reception hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Speaking afterwards, the Reform politician – who attended a similar reception when he was first elected as an MEP in 1999 – heaped praise on the Edinburghs for doing so many royal engagements.

‘They are charming, they do a lot of heavy lifting because there’s one or two gaps out there. It’s been a difficult few years,’ he said.

‘Wonderboy and wondergirl disappear off to America, the Queen dies, the King’s not been well, Andrew’s not in the public eye, Princess Anne is 74, so they are doing a lot of the heavy lifting and I think doing it very well,’ he said in typically unabashed style.

Chatting to her owner, Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling who is registered blind, the King said ‘these wonderful dogs’ as he scratched Jennie on the head and asked: ‘She knows her way round the house does she?’

The MP for Torbay replied ‘she knows the best place to go for sausages,’ prompting the King to point and laugh.

He then asked: ‘Is the food there not too bad?’

‘For her it’s her favourite,’ Mr Darling said.

The Duchess of Edinburgh, who has been the patron of Guide Dogs since 2021, also made a beeline for the dog and told her: ‘I’m your patron.’

King Charles shakes hands with Kemi Badenoch during a reception for members of Parliament newly elected in the 2024 election

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Richard Tice speak with Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh

Sir Keir Starmer shakes hands with King Charles at the reception on Wednesday 

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Richard Tice speak with Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh

The July 2024 election saw a record number of new MPs enter Westminster, with 335 newcomers – beating the previous record of 327 in the 1945 election.

A further 15 people returned to Parliament after a period of absence, bringing the total number of newly elected to 350.

Their Majesties also welcomed peers who have been appointed to the House of Lords following their coronation in May 2023.

The hundreds of guests were hosted in the lavish State Ballroom and were also joined the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

The King and Queen were greeted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, before they started to chat to the MPs enjoying the free-flowing champagne.

Several politicians were impressed by His Majesty’s knowledge of their constituencies, with the MPs for Barrow-in-Furness and Derby South chatting with him about the new £9bn submarine deal.

Deirdre Costigan, MP for Ealing Southall, said she was impressed that the King knew her constituency was sometimes known as Little India and had a big Sikh community.

‘He talked about his love of curries,’ she said and told her he likes them ‘not too strong’.

Paul Waugh, MP for Rochdale, added: ‘He is impeccably polite and knows a lot about every constituency.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Richard Tice speak to the Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh

Nigel Farage and Reform UK Deputy leader Richard Tice speaking to the Duke of Edinburgh during a reception hosted by King Charles

King Charles with Lib Dem MP Steve Darling and his guide dog Jennie

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Reform UK Deputy leader Richard Tice speak to Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh

‘He’s got an incredible encyclopedic knowledge of every area of the UK.’

Asked if they spoke about Rochdale, he said: ‘Yes, I mentioned that it was the home of the Co-op [supermarket] and I said I hope he shopped at the Co-op and he burst out laughing.

‘I took that as a yes.’

While the King slowly made his way around the room for over an hour, Camilla stayed in one corner while MPs and peers queued to speak to her.

She enjoyed an animated chat with former PM Theresa May, who was made Baroness May of Maidenhead by Rishi Sunak in July last year and has worked with her on the issue of domestic violence.

Scores of MPs crowded around the King, and he appeared amused when one MP from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, known for its medieval chess set, handed him a queen from a set.

Charles took the chess piece and placed it in his pocket.

Melanie Ward, who until her election as Labour MP was CEO of Medical Aid for Palestinians, praised the King for mentioning the Middle East.