King Charles swatted away a fly and Queen Camilla got the giggles after being given a large knitted radish as they undertook one of their final engagements before the summer break. The couple made their traditional pilgrimage to the Sandringham Flower Show, an event held on the royal estate in Norfolk for almost 150 years.
First RHS-run show at a royal residence
This year, for the first time, the show is being run by the Royal Horticultural Society, of which His Majesty is patron. The monarch also collaborated on a new ‘RHS Legacy Garden’ using local Norfolk materials to celebrate his passion for horticulture and champion rural skills and biodiversity.
Their Majesties arrived on the horse-drawn Victoria Carriage through the Old Norwich Gates to the main house to cheers from the crowds. After standing for the national anthem, they shook hands with hundreds of people as they were shown round by RHS President Keith Weed and director general Clare Matterson.
Charles meets garden collaborator
The King, who along with his wife had enjoyed a private viewing the previous night, looked delighted to meet garden collaborator Catherine Macdonald to view his garden, which offered a county feel. The couple constantly stopped to greet the many thousands of members of the public who lined the route.
"Are you all mad keen gardeners?" His Majesty asked. "I’m the same age as you," one well-wisher told him. "You are looking good!" Charles, dressed in a summer beige suit and brogues, laughed: "It gets much harder doesn’t it?" He also beamed when another fan told him: "You look so like your mum."
Camilla’s dress and insect repellent gift
Camilla, 79, wore a new £245 green Lexy London dress and a large plaster on her right thumb. She asked another visitor: "Are you enjoying yourself? There’s a lot to see." She was given a bag of citronella-based insect repellents by The Oil Hut, which might have come in useful earlier when her husband was forced to swat away a flying pest.
The King presented a new ‘The Kings Biodiversity Award’ to Sophie Goldber, who designed the ‘Mindful Chef’s Gathering’ inspired by a traditional orchard redesigned for a smaller garden. He also gave an award for The Best Exhibit in the Floral Marquee Award to family-run business Roaleyn Fuschias from North Wales.
Queen presents upcycled containers award
The Queen presented The Queen’s Choice of Upcycled Containers Award to the Whissonsett & District Horticultural Society and Gardening Club, with a special award to Ingoldisthorpe Church of England Primary School for their ‘The Queen Bee’ design featuring a ‘majestic queen bee planter symbolising leadership’. She told them: "Very well done. It is such fun."
The King stopped to speak to a group of children from Weeting Primary School in Brandon, asking: "Have you got a garden here? Have you been very busy at school? Do you grow any vegetables? Do you eat them? Have you tried any spinach - it’s the best thing on the world. Have a very nice holidays. You must be on holidays now? These poor exhausted teachers!"
The Queen examined a large purple knitted radish with an impish smile. "Thank you very much indeed, it’s very kind," she beamed. She also chatted to a girl from Brighton who told her she had been a member of the Pony Club at Plumpton, Sussex, where Camilla herself grew up. "So was I!" she trilled.
The couple departed in their horse and carriage after shaking several dozen more hands. They have one more official engagement before departing for Scotland for the summer. The RHS Sandringham Flower Show is the first RHS Show hosted at a Royal residence and, like other RHS Shows, features expert growers and nurseries and celebrates charities and communities.
