With a personal fortune estimated to be in the billions, King Charles III could easily acquire any material possession he desires. Yet, as he celebrates his 77th birthday, the monarch's annual gift request remains remarkably simple and deeply personal, focusing on his enduring passion for horticulture.
The Royal Gardener's Wishlist
Former royal butler Grant Harrold, who served His Majesty from 2004 to 2011, reveals the solution to the perennial question of what to give a king who has everything. "He would always ask for things for the garden," Harrold exclusively told The Express. "He's previously asked for benches, plants and trees. Gardening is his real passion."
This sentiment is strongly echoed by royal gardener Jack Stooks, who confirmed that King Charles consistently requests plants and garden items for his birthday. "That's what he tends to put on his list," Jack stated, specifying that the monarch asks for "trees, shrubs, roses, hedging" to be planted across the royal estates, including Clarence House, Buckingham Palace, Windsor, Sandringham, and his Scottish residences.
A Garden of Celebrity Gifts
The King's beloved garden at his Gloucestershire home, Highgrove, has become a living gallery of meaningful presents from admirers and friends over the years. Jack Stooks shared charming anecdotes about these celebrity donations, noting that Elton John gifted an Indian bean tree, while Pierce Brosnan and his wife presented a Magnolia that now thrives in the apple orchard.
"They actually once came around the garden and I met them both, and they were just so lovely and down to earth and normal," Stooks recalled. "We showed them the tree that they'd gifted him years before, which was really nice." Similarly, Sting and Trudie Styler contributed a collection of Fritillaria flowers that were incorporated into the meadow, creating what Stooks describes as "the kind of gift giving that keeps on giving year after year."
A Lifelong Hands-On Passion
King Charles's connection to gardening isn't merely ceremonial; it's a deeply ingrained passion that stretches back to his childhood. "My interest in gardening was always there," the King, then Prince Charles, remarked in 2010. "As a child my sister and I were given a little plot at Buckingham Palace at the back of the border for growing vegetables."
His dedication remains remarkably hands-on today. Brian Corr, Head of Gardens, revealed that the monarch, affectionately called "The Boss" by his 11-strong horticultural team, often carries a pruning saw during his regular garden inspections. The King himself has confessed to enjoying "evening patrols" where he weeds and prunes, and he doesn't shy away from physically demanding tasks like hedge-laying, noting that "it keeps you relatively sane and it's very good exercise."
This November 14th, as with every birthday, the King's wishes are expected to remain the same: not jewels or luxury items, but living gifts that will grow and flourish in the gardens he so passionately tends, a testament to his enduring commitment to conservation and the natural world.
