Queen Elizabeth II gave a reception Monday at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the achievements of 400 British trailblazers, including designers, sports heroes, academics and scientists.

The queen mingled and chatted with her guests who ranged from Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes, to pink-haired designer Zandra Rhodes, a fashion icon since the 1970s.

Everest mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and renowned heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub were also among the crowd.

In honor of the guests, the palace arranged an exhibition of objects relating to pioneering achievements — including stones thrown through the windows of Buckingham Palace in 1914 by suffragettes demanding votes for women. The small rocks, each about 3 inches long, were kept for posterity by Queen Mary.

Each bears a slogan written in ink on gummed paper, protesting the refusal of King George V to receive a deputation of women and a petition demanding the vote. The women who threw them were arrested but later released without charge.

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