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He and Queen Camilla proudly welcomed onlookers to their private Sandringham estate gardens.
The Gist
- King Charles was all smiles as he departed from royal tradition during an event on July 22.
- The monarch showed off his love for gardening while hosting the debut Royal Horticulture Society Flower Show.
- Charles also designed an exhibit with Catherine MacDonald.
King Charles put his passion for gardening on full display as he welcomed fellow green-thumbed fans to his private Sandringham estate grounds on July 22. In a major departure from royal tradition, the 77-year-old monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, 79, hosted the debut Royal Horticulture Society Flower Show in the royal gardens for the first time—and the couple was all smiles as they showed off a special exhibition designed by the king himself.
Charles—who became the patron of the Royal Horticulture Society in 2024—will host the RHS Flower Show every three years in lieu of the beloved annual Sandringham Flower Show, according to an agreement with the Sandringham Estate Cottage Horticultural Society (SECHS) Trust. The Sandringham Flower Show, which has been hosted by the volunteer trust since 1881, will return in 2027 and 2028 at its longtime home in Norfolk before the RHS Flower Show is back at Sandringham estate in 2029, per BBC.
To kick off the milestone five-day event, which will close on July 29, Charles and Camilla took a carriage to the gardens to check out the floral and gardening exhibitions as well as the produce competition, meet with the public, and hand out trophies to notable attendees.
According to People, Camilla was especially impressed with a bee-inspired floral display, which featured bees made out of recycled cans. She presented Her Majesty the Queen’s Special Award for Upcycled Container Gardens to the students at the Ingoldisthorpe Church of England Primary School, commenting that “a lot of hard work went into that.”
The couple also toured the RHS Royal Legacy Garden, which Charles worked with Catherine MacDonald to design. The monarch was pleased with the results, calling them “fantastic.”
It’s no secret that Charles is an avid horticulturist, as his Highgrove House estate famously features 15 acres of organic gardens. The royal’s former gardener and chef have spoken about how the king likes to grow his favorite vegetables on his own property and how he’s followed in his late mom Queen Elizabeth II’s footsteps by refusing to eat produce that’s out of season.
Read the original article on InStyle
