Georgie Gibbs burned by tea at Buckingham Palace

Georgie Gibbs, nine, was taken from Buckingham Palace to hospital after boiling hot tea spilt onto her legs while she and her family enjoyed afternoon tea in the palace's grounds.

Mum Clare Gibbs said her daughter's screams were "horrific" - but the family was treated like royalty by caring staff.

She said: "It all happened so quickly and somehow the scalding hot tea had spilt onto her leg and was running down into the splint that she wears.  

"The screams were horrific to hear and the whole cafe stopped in silence."

Clare and her family were able to take Georgie's splints off quickly and people rushed to pour cold water onto her burns.

She said: "We were all in shock and had no time to think about what was happening, the staff of the cafe came quickly with crate after crate of canned iced cold water.

"It was a conveyor belt of people all wanting to help all they could.

"Management arrived quickly and efficiently and we could see Georgie's legs were starting to blister."

Left: Clare, Ella, Georgie and Barry at Buckingham Palace. Right: Ambulance parked in the Royal Gardens waiting to take Georgie to St Thomas's Hospital.

Georgie's family praised the staff at Buckingham Palace for their support on the day.

"The management was amazing, keeping me informed of all their actions and reassuring me that help was on its way.

"Georgie was given an escort by palace officials on the way to St Thomas Hospital.

"The hospital said we should be very thankful to the staff for the continuous amount of water placed on Georgie’s leg, had this not happened it would’ve been a very different story."

Georgie's leg after the burn.

The trip to Buckingham Palace was a fun day out before Georgie has surgery at Bristol Children's Hospital.

A Royal Collection Trust spokesperson said: "The safety of our visitors is a top priority, and we aim to train our staff to react quickly when first-aid incidents occur.

"We are pleased that Georgie is doing well and wish her a full and speedy recovery."

The family were invited to return the following day where all the staff who helped Georgie were lined up to greet her.

Clare said: "We will never forget our experience of going to the palace it’s certainly one that will be remembered as Georgie grows up and even maybe mentioned on her wedding day."