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Royals at Chelsea Flower Show© Getty

12 beautiful photos of the royals enjoying the Chelsea Flower Show

King Charles and his family are a green-fingered bunch

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
May 21, 2024
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The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is one of the royal family's favourite events from their busy summer schedule.

The British royal family's connections to the show go back to Queen Victoria's reign, when it was formerly known as the Great Spring Show for its inaugural event in Kensington in 1862.

The first ever RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as we know it today, took place in 1913 and has been held every May, apart from during the two World Wars and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The late Queen Elizabeth II held a long-standing patronage with the Royal Horticultural Society until her death, only missing the event twice during her 70-year reign.

The patronage has since passed to King Charles, who is one of the biggest advocates for the environment and the natural world.

HELLO! takes a look back on some of our favourite photos of the royals at the Chelsea Flower Show over the years...

Kate climbing up the ladder to the treehouse in her Back to Nature garden in 2019© Getty

Back to Nature

The green-fingered Princess of Wales co-designed the Back to Nature garden at the show in 2019 alongside landscape architects Davies White. Inspired by elements of her childhood and more recent memories with her own children, it featured a tree house, a den and a rope swing.  As well as giving the late Queen a tour of the space, Kate brought Prince GeorgePrincess Charlotte and Prince Louis along to play in the garden.

Kate Middleton sits on a picnic blanket with school children at Chelsea Flower Show© Getty

Pretty in pink

And in 2023, Kate looked pretty in pink as she hosted the very first children's picnic at the show, to encourage young. She inspired the idea during a conversation with the RHS during 2019 when her garden was on show at Chelsea. The Princess felt more children should be involved in the Chelsea Flower Show.

Queen Elizabeth in front of floral exhibit at Chelsea Flower Show© Getty

In bloom

We love this image of the late Queen next to a floral exhibit by the New Covent Garden Flower Market in 2016. 10,000 stems were used to create this tribute to Her Majesty on her 90th birthday in 2016. She became patron of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 1952 at the start of her reign.

Prince Harry sitting in a Basotho chair at Chelsea Flower Show© Getty

A sentimental spot

Prince Harry sits in a Basotho chair during his visit to the Sentebale 'Hope in Vulnerability' garden in 2015. Sentebale was founded by the Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso in 2006. Sentebale means 'forget-me-not' in the Sesotho language, representing a pledge to remember the most vulnerable children in Southern Africa.

Beatrice and Edo at Chelsea Flower Show© Getty

Date night

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi looked incredibly stylish as they enjoyed a date night at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2022, with Beatrice wearing an apt blue floral Reformation for the occasion.

Princess Eugenie holding hands with Jack Brooksbank at Chelsea Flower Show© Getty

Hand-in-hand

This photo was taken two years before they announced their engagement but Princess Eugenie is rocking a very bridal look as she attends the Chelsea Flower Show with future husband, Jack Brooksbank, in 2016.

Charles kisses Queen Elizabeth's hand© Getty

Mother-son moment

Then Prince Charles kisses his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as they attend the Chelsea Flower Show in 2009. The monarch presented her son and heir apparent with the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex attends the Chelsea Flower Show 201© Chris Jackson

How gorgeous is this shot of the Duchess of Edinburgh holding a bouquet at the show in 2018?

Queen Camilla enjoys a swing bench at Chelsea Flower Show© Getty

Take a seat

Queen Camilla took a pew in a swing seat as she took a tour of the London Square Community Garden in 2023.

Prince Charles smelling roses© Getty

Smelling the roses

Charles stops to smell the roses – literally – during a visit to the show in 2009. The plant was named the Highgrove rose in honour of the then Prince's Gloucestershire home.

Queen Elizabeth's last visit to Chelsea Flower Show in 2022© Getty

Queen Elizabeth's last appearance

In May 2022, the late Queen was escorted around by a £62,000 buggy amid her ongoing mobility issues. The monarch, who looked pretty in pink, was joined by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Beatrice.

Queen Mother, King George VI and Princess Margaret at Chelsea Flower Show in 1951© Getty

From the archives

The royal family have been supporting the Chelsea Flower Show since its inception in 1913, and here’s King George VI, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret admiring a display in 1951.

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