A life saving charity that has counted on royal support for two centuries, a social reformer whose work was boosted by a tragic princess and a descendant of Queen Victoria making her debut – the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has provided plenty of royal links as its sparkled in the London sun this week.
It also provided a special moment for The King as he continued his uptake of public facing engagements again after several months away after his cancer diagnosis. King Charles looked delighted to be back at the Flower Show, held in the grounds of the Royal Chelsea Hospital which has been a home for retired soldiers since the 17th century. That was down to another king called Charles, speaking of which….
A king, a church and a very pretty garden
One of the gardens on show was the ‘Imagine the World to be Different’ space from St. James’s Church in Piccadilly. The design is all about revitalising urban green spaces and pays tribute to the plants that took root there after bombing in World War Two. The church, however, has a strong link to Chelsea’s founder, Charles II. The church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was consecrated in 1684 and built on part of the St. James’ estate that had been given a charter to develop by King Charles II.
A people’s princess and a People’s Award
It’s a much sought after prize at Chelsea – the People’s Award – and this year it went to the Octavia Hill Garden by Ann-Marie Powell in collaboration with the Blue Diamond team and the National Trust. It’s a celebration of the work of Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the Trust, and a famous social reformer.
(Photo by Lydia Starbuck)
Her work was boosted by the support of Princess Alice, a daughter of Queen Victoria, and an early ”people’s princess’ who had Octavia Hill’s seminal work, Homes for the London Poor, translated into German to further her ideas.
Displays for The King and Queen
King Charles and Queen Camilla toured the show just before it opened and were given a sneak preview of No Adults Allowed, a garden designed by children, for children. It included a slide, natch, and lots of hiding places. The only rule was that no adults were allowed to enter. However, an exception was made for Their Majesties.
Perhaps they spotted a plant beginning with C – the Director General of the RHS, Clare Matterson, had already said that grown ups who found a flower that shared the same start letter as their name could pop in. Queen Camilla found two ‘B’ names nearby as she came face to face with willow versions featuring at the Highgrove shop stand at the show.
A celebration of a charity the royals love
The RNLI has attracted royal support since its inception in 1824. As it marked 200 years, a special garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show marked its ongoing endeavours. Situated at the heart of the Great Pavilion, the centre of the show, it features a special rose bred by Peter Beales Roses for the anniversary.
The orange flower is called ”With Courage”. And the garden was given a special launch by stars from the TV show, Blue Peter, who long supported the RNLI.
A royal debut and it’s wild
There was a royal debut in the Great Pavilion as Lady Amelia Windsor unveiled her first ever display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Lady Amelia, 43rd in line to the throne, worked with Kent Wildflower Seeds to produce a rustic style garden.
The wildflower filled show proved hugely popular and Lady Amelia said it had been an honour to be involved.
The Bridgerton Garden
Think royal, think Bridgerton. The show everyone’s talking about, because everyone’s watched it, was the focus of the garden everyone wanted to visit at the Chelsea Flower Show.
The garden was based on the character of Penelope Featherington and aimed to show her transformation with one part of the display showcasing the character’s ”coming into the light”. It was launched by two of the stars of the show, Hannah Dodd and Ruth Gemmell.
