King Charles and Queen Camilla met football legend Sir David Beckham at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on Monday. The couple toured the world-famous horticultural event, where they were introduced to a garden gnome named after the monarch.
The show has lifted its ban on gnomes for only the second time in its history, the first being its centenary in 2013. Inside a potting shed at the Curious Garden, four small gnomes sat on a shelf with name tags: Charles III, Sir David, Alan, and Frances. The garden, designed by Frances Tophill, also featured the King's favourite delphiniums and a new David Austin rose named after Sir David, a gift from his daughter Harper.
As she was shown around, Queen Camilla remarked: 'This is so nice, it's so natural.' The King sniffed the new 'Sir David Beckham' bloom and admired an installation by Hamish Powell. The couple were joined by other royals including the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Charles and Camilla later separated to visit different parts of the show. The King stopped at the Japanese garden Tokonoma Garden and the Campaign to Protect Rural England's garden, where he greeted Dame Judi Dench with a kiss on both cheeks. He also stroked a three-year-old cocker spaniel trained to detect plant diseases. Camilla visited the Eden Project's Bring Me Sunshine garden and admired a colourful cockerel at a stall.
The King, a keen gardener, has transformed the Highgrove Estate into a 15-acre organic paradise over 45 years. He continues to champion the natural world, having launched the Coronation Meadows Project, which has created over 100 wildflower fields across the UK.
