Palace says ‘leave it with us’ after boy misses party

Tony Hudgell's visit to Buckingham Palace was abandoned due to traffic on the M20

A nine-year-old double amputee boy has received a royal invitation from Buckingham Palace after missing the King's garden party due to a traffic jam.

A downhearted Tony Hudgell, from Kent, was about to go to bed after spending several hours with his family in traffic on the M20 when an official royal intervention boosted his mood.

The post on the Royal Family's page on X, formerly Twitter, said: "Sorry to hear this, Tony! We were looking forward to seeing you too. Fancy trying again another day? Leave it with us."

The boy's adoptive mum, Paula Hudgell, said the response had put "a big beam" on his face. "He’ll go to bed tonight knowing he was missed," she said.

Tony, from West Malling, had both legs amputated after he was abused as a baby.

He had received a special invitation to the garden party from the King.

Ms Hudgell said the family were originally invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party in two weeks' time, but they had to bring the date forward so she could have surgery for her bowel cancer.

She told BBC Radio Kent: "I'm doing alright. It's just one of the complications of bowel cancer."

Ms Hudgell said the family spent several hours in traffic trying to get to London.

But a lorry fire on the M20 on Tuesday caused long delays, and in the end the family had to abandon their journey.

She had posted on social media to say the family had been stuck and would miss the party.

Garden parties are held each summer to invitees who have made a positive impact in their community.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to reports of a lorry alight on the M20 London-bound and first aid was given to one person for minor smoke inhalation.

Ms Hudgell said during the time they sat in traffic, she was worried about those involved in the incident.

On returning home, she said the family were as "flat as pancakes".

But she said Tony had kept his spirits up throughout.

She said: "He was true Tony style. You are sitting in three and a half hours of not moving and he was singing away and people were chatting to him."

'Silver lining'

Ms Hudgell believes Tony's visit to the Palace will not be until next year because garden parties are only held twice a year.

But she believes he will enjoy it more as his health would have improved following major surgery in March.

She said: "He had a massive operation on his leg and his hip so he's pretty much wheelchair-bound.

"I said, 'next year you'll be a bit more mobile and be able to walk round the garden, hopefully'. It's a bit of a silver lining."

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