GET CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW OFF TO A BLOOMING LOVELY START IN THE SUN
His Majesty joins schoolchildren and the Queen (together top left) in the No Adults Allowed Garden, Her Majesty having handed over a posy of camellias in order to gain entrance The King chats to TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh and his wife Alison His Majesty visits the gold medal-winning WaterAid garden at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Created by landscape designer Tom Massey and architect 17 Je Ahn, the sustainable space boasts a rainwater-harvesting pavilion
The King and Queen led the royal family and a host of famous faces as the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show opened in glorious sunshine.
Making their first visit since the announcement that His Majesty was the new patron of the society, the royal couple found themselves presented with new titles: King of the Compost and Queen of the Bees.
The names were written on badges given to them by schoolchildren in the RHS No Adults Allowed Garden, which was devised by designer Harry Holding and the pupils of Sullivan Primary School in London. Delighted, the King laughed and said: “Quite right!”
Admiring the garden, which features a slide between pools of water, created by Jeremy Wyatt of design studio Root and Shoot, he asked: “Can you drop from there into the water? Are you allowed to try it?” He also asked the youngsters: “Are you trying to grow vegetables? There’s nothing more fun than eating something you have grown. You should try it. It makes such a difference. It tastes so different.”
The Queen (above) is fascinated to be shown features of the Bridgerton Garden, inspired by Nicola Coughlan’s popular character Penelope Featherington, before revealing that she watched the first series of the hit Netflix show. Her husband (left) Is smart in a blue suit as he explores the site, while Her Majesty Wearing a peacock-print midi dress by Fiona Clare, visits the oak and beech hut in Tom Stuart-Smith’s gold medal-winning, woodland-themed National Garden Scheme designHer Majesty (above) is delighted to encounter these willow sculptures of her beloved Jack Russell rescue terriers Bluebell and Beth. Created by sculptor Emma Stothard, who kickstarted her career with a grant from the then Prince’s Trust, they wear scarves dotted with floral designs and come complete with Emma Bridgewater bowls bearing their names
As adults, the royal couple were asked to pay a forfeit to enter the garden: plant a tree, donate to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening or find a flower that started with the first letter of their name.
