King Charles and Queen Camilla are in their element at Chelsea Flower Show – best photos

King Charles and Queen Camilla met footballing royalty Sir David Beckham at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where they were also introduced to a garden gnome named after the monarch.

Charles and Camilla also joined legendary gardener Alan Titchmarsh at The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden, designed by Frances Tophill, at the world-famous horticultural show.

The show has lifted a ban on gnomes for only the second time in its history – the last time was to mark its centenary in 2013. Inside a potting shed at the heart of the garden, four small gnomes sat on a shelf, each bearing a name tag: Charles III, Sir David, Alan, and Frances.

The King famously displays a gnome decorated as a photographer – a gift from press photographers – in his garden at Highgrove, and is said to move it around to surprise his gardeners.

Elsewhere, a framed newspaper cutting of the King’s 1995 Christmas card hangs on the wall, showing him sitting on a bench at Highgrove, with his sons Prince William and Prince Harry standing inside giant flower pots, with the headline: “Clown Prince is a card at Christmas”.

As she was shown around the garden, which also features the King’s favourite delphiniums and a new David Austin rose named after Sir David – a gift from his daughter Harper – the Queen remarked: “This is so nice, it’s so natural”.

The King took a sniff of the new “Sir David Beckham” bloom and admired an installation by Hamish Powell, which incorporated the rose along with the pink and white-striped King’s rose, which was unveiled at last year’s show.

The garden aims to spark curiosity and encourage more people to take up gardening.

Chelsea Flower Show duties

On arrival at Chelsea Flower Show, the couple were greeted by dignitaries including Keith Weed, president of the RHS, General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, governor of The Royal Hospital, Chelsea, Ben Coleman, MP, and Clare Matterson, RHS Director General.

The King and Queen were joined by the Princess Royal, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, along with the Queen’s sister Annabel Elliot.

Charles and Camilla then separated to visit different parts of the show.

The King stopped at the Japanese garden Tokonoma Garden – Samumaya no Niwa, designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara and Paul Noritaka Tange, and a garden for The Campaign to Protect Rural England’s Garden, On the Edge by Sarah Eberle, where a huge sculpture of a sleeping woman had been carved from a single sequoia tree.

Charles greeted Dame Judi Dench with a kiss on both cheeks and patted her arm as she curtseyed to him. 

“It’s wonderful to see you,” she said, as they appeared to have a quiet discussion about a new Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Tempest.

Charles also stopped to stroke a three-year-old cocker spaniel called Zinc, who is trained to detect plant diseases, including phytophthora, which has caused crop losses around the world resulting in significant financial losses for farmers.

Camilla, meanwhile, saw displays including The Eden Project’s Bring me Sunshine garden, which was designed by Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis.

Later, after viewing a display of his favourite delphinium flowers, the King and Queen, both keen gardeners, reunited.

Keith Weed told the Queen: “We have people who spend a whole day here – we have restaurants, we have shops.” “Very tempting,” Camilla replied.

Looking at some of the stalls selling garden items, the Queen admired a colourful cockerel and after saying the weather was “very chilly” she paused by an outdoor fire stall and declared it “highly recommended”.

 King Charles the eco warrior

A recipient of Harvard Medical School’s 2007 Global Environmental Citizen Award, His Majesty continues to champion the natural world today. He famously launched the Coronation Meadows Project, which has successfully created over 100 wildflower fields across the UK to protect declining native flora.

The Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire is King Charles’ passion project, putting his interest in nature front and centre. Over the course of 45 years, Charles has transformed it into a world-renowned, 15-acre organic paradise.

Affectionately known as ‘The Boss’ among his gardening team, the monarch reportedly frequently visits the grounds with a pruning saw in hand, pulling weeds and making design choices.

Gardeners’ World star Alan Titchmarsh recently revealed that Charles surprised him with his incredible commitment to horticulture, even after the death of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 2022.

“We first met in 1986,” he told Radio Times. “I’ve walked around his gardens with him on many occasions, but when he acceded to the throne, I was prepared for horticulture not to occupy quite the same place in his heart and daily life. But nothing could have been further from the truth.

“The King has done more for horticulture, gardening, natural history and the environment than anybody else, apart from David Attenborough,” he added.