Royal insiders have expressed concern that King Charles was upstaged by the Princess of Wales on her first visit to the Chelsea Flower Show as monarch.
Her Majesty, who is known to be a keen gardener and nature lover, attended the annual event in London on Monday May 22, for the first time since becoming King.
While there, the monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, presented a medal in memory of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, to honor leaders in gardening – and will be given to 70 people at any time in memory Her Majesty’s 70th birthday. regnal year.
However, some royal sources have expressed concern that Charles and Camilla’s visit was overshadowed by a surprise appearance by Catherine, Princess of Wales, at the same event on the same day.
Kate was seen meeting young people from ten schools taking part in the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) school gardening campaign, where she encouraged participants to ‘work hard’.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, attends the first children’s picnic at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on Monday
Kate’s surprise appearance delighted visitors to the show, but some royal sources questioned whether she upstaged the King and Queen
But the amount of coverage given to the young royal’s visit has sparked alarm in some circles that Charles could find himself overshadowed by his daughter-in-law, a claim reflecting he was married to his first wife, Princess Diana.
An insider told Richard Eden of the Daily Mail: “With her love of horticulture, Her Majesty’s appearance at Chelsea was a significant commitment.”
“It is a shame that his visit with Her Majesty The Queen received less coverage than one might have expected. I hope they are not too disappointed.
In his controversial memoir, Spare, Prince Harry claimed he and his brother William were limited in the number of public engagements they could undertake.
The King’s youngest son wrote: ‘Pa and Camilla didn’t like Willy and Kate taking the spotlight away from them or their causes. They had openly scolded Willy about it on several occasions.
Harry referenced an occasion where his sister-in-law was due to commit to a tennis club on the same day Charles and Camilla were due to appear elsewhere at a formal event.
It had been strictly forbidden, Harry explained, because such a ‘tempting’ photo would ruin Charles and Camilla’s chances of making headlines the next day.
He said, “It couldn’t be tolerated. Told it was too late to cancel the visit, Pa’s publicist warned: ‘Just make sure the Duchess isn’t holding a tennis racket in any of the photos.’
King Charles, pictured here arriving at the show with Queen Camilla, is a well-known gardening and nature lover
Fears Kate could upstage the King mirror similar claims from his first marriage to Princess Diana (pictured)
King Charles views a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show after arriving with Camilla on Monday
King Charles kisses Korean designer Jihae Hwang as he visits his ‘A Letter of a Million Years’ garden
At RHS Chelsea on Monday, the King and Queen showed no signs of annoyance at the Princess of Wales’ surprise visit, as they enjoyed themselves at the flower show.
Charles and Camilla made separate visits to some of the gardens, with the King revealing he was looking for plants to replace those eaten by rabbits at Highgrove.
The Queen, meanwhile, couldn’t resist making an unscheduled stop in a garden in Chelsea to test her swing.
Camilla rushed into the James Smith-designed London Square Community Garden, designed to encourage people to meet, relax and share food, while connecting with nature.
Her Majesty admired the stunning flowers and the giant communal table with chessboards and drought planks with recycled chairs created by Jay Blades of The Repair Shop, who was a guest at the coronation.
The couple later presented the first ‘Garden of Royal Reflection and Celebration’ medals to landscaper Piet Oudolf, Parliament Horticulture Champion Baroness Janet Fookes and Environment Champion Judy Ling Wong.
RHS President Keith Weed said: ‘The Royal Horticultural Society has been exceptionally fortunate to have Her Majesty as patron throughout her reign.
“This award celebrates both Her Majesty’s glorious reign and the work she has done to raise the profile of British horticulture nationally and internationally through her visits to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and wider work .”
