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Camilla said “I watched the first lot” during her visit to a garden based on the Penelope Featherington character from the hit Netflix Regency-era show.
The royal couple were accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester as they visited the world-famous Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show on a sunny Monday afternoon in London.
Charles said “there’s nothing more fun than eating the things you’ve grown” as he toured the show’s first “no adults allowed” garden with Camilla.
The royal couple both received a badge from children from Sulivan Primary School in London who helped design the garden – with Charles being given a “King of the Compost” one and Camilla receiving a badge which called her “Queen of the Bees”.
The King joked “quite right” after being presented with his badge.
Charles, wearing a navy blue suit with a flower on his lapel, said to the children at the garden: “There’s nothing more fun than eating the things you’ve grown.”
He added: “It makes such a difference. It tastes so much better.”
The “RHS No Adults Allowed Garden”, designed by Harry Holding and children from Sulivan Primary School, includes a journey through a landscape of lush woodland, meadows and a wetland with heightened colour and oversized bog plants.
Adults can tour the garden if they pledge to do one of three things – either plant a tree, donate to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening or find a flower that starts with the first letter of their name.
The Queen, wearing a blue dress, presented the children with a bouquet of camellias to permit the royal couple’s entry into the garden.
At the Highgrove Gardens exhibit, Charles spoke to Alan Titchmarsh who presented the King with a leaf-shaped gift from Dame Judi Dench – who was among the notable figures to visit the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday before it opens to the public on Tuesday.
The King was also shown woven versions at the exhibit of the royal couple’s jack russell Terriers, named Beth and Bluebell.
Charles, the new patron of the RHS, and Camilla went ahead with the annual royal visit as the King continues with a flurry of public duties while he undergoes treatment for cancer.
On arrival, members of the royal family were greeted by RHS president Keith Weed, before touring 10 gardens individually.
The final garden the couple visited was the Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Balcony Garden, where hardy tropical planting has been used to mirror the structural layers of a jungle.
Charles also visited the Moroto no IE Garden, designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara, which features vibrant acers and a tumbling waterfall to “blend the beauty of the natural world with the practicalities of family life”.
The King has a long-standing relationship with the RHS, regularly attending the Chelsea Flower Show alongside Camilla.
He succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II as the RHS’s patron, a role she held for 70 years, after a review of royal patronages following her death.
Established in 1913 on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, the flower show has become one of the world’s leading showcases for horticultural excellence, attracting around 168,000 visitors each year and exhibitors from across the globe.
The show – which includes gardens, nurseries, floristry, educational displays and trade stands – has grown from 244 exhibitors in 1913 to more than 500 today.
