King Charles III and Queen Camilla, along with Sir David Beckham and Alan Titchmarsh, made a grand appearance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where a special gnome was named Charles III in honour of the monarch.
Gnomes Take Centre Stage
During their visit, Charles and Camilla were shown The RHS and The King's Foundation Curious Garden. On a shelf sat four small gnomes with name tags: Charles III for the King, Sir David for the former England football captain, Alan for TV gardener Titchmarsh, and Frances after the garden's designer, Frances Tophill. This marked only the second time in the flower show's history that the ban on gnomes had been lifted, the first being in 2013 for its centenary.
As the Queen, wearing a bee brooch, explored the garden, she remarked to Titchmarsh, "This is so nice, it's so natural." Charles leaned forward to sniff a new rose named in honour of Sir David, an ambassador of the King's Foundation.
Royal Encounters and Garden Highlights
The King chatted animatedly with Beckham and Titchmarsh, all of whom had gnomes named after them. A flower installation by floral artist Hamish Powell incorporated the King's rose, the Beckham rose, and a rose named after Alan Titchmarsh. The garden aims to spark curiosity and encourage more people to take up gardening. A framed newspaper cutting of the King's 1995 Christmas card, showing him as Prince of Wales with Princes William and Harry in giant flower pots, hung on the shed wall.
Upon arrival, the couple was greeted by RHS president Keith Weed, General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, MP Ben Coleman, and RHS Director General Clare Matterson. The Queen's sister, Annabel Elliot, also joined and posed for a picture with Beckham.
Other Royal Attendees and Garden Tours
The Princess Royal, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also attended the preview. After viewing the Foundation's garden, Charles and Camilla split up to see different displays. Charles visited the Japanese Tokonoma Garden and the Campaign to Protect Rural England's Garden, where he greeted Dame Judi Dench with a kiss on both cheeks. They discussed a new Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Tempest.
The King later met a three-and-a-half-year-old cocker spaniel named Zinc, trained to detect plant diseases. He learned from handler Luke Jones that Zinc specialises in sniffing out phytophthora, which causes significant crop losses worldwide.
Queen Camilla's Garden Visits
Meanwhile, the Queen visited several other displays, including The Eden Project's Bring Me Sunshine garden. After viewing his favourite Delphinium flowers, the King and Queen reunited. Keith Weed told the Queen about the show's restaurants and shops, to which she replied, "Very tempting." Admiring a colourful cockerel and noting the chilly weather, she paused by an outdoor fire stall and declared it "highly recommended." The couple then held a private reception before departing.
