King and Queen to enter No Adults Allowed garden at Chelsea Flower Show

The King and Queen are to tour a “No Adults Allowed” garden at the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday.

Charles, the new patron of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), and Camilla are to go ahead with the annual royal visit as the King continues with a flurry of public duties while he undergoes treatment for cancer.

They will meet growers and horticulturalists and explore The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden – the first in the history of the show to be designed by children, for children.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024
Preparations get under way ahead of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea in London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Initially there was only one rule for adults: they were not allowed to enter.

But Clare Matterson, director-general of the (RHS), said she had secured entry for grown-ups after some “tough negotiating”.

The children agreed adults can tour the garden if they pledge to do one of three things – either plant a tree, donate to RHS Campaign for School Gardening or find a flower that starts with the first letter of their name.

RHS No Adults Allowed Garden
Artist impression of RHS No Adults Allowed garden (RHS/PA)

The No Adults Allowed garden is described as a “joyful journey through a fantastical landscape where children can explore the magic of lush woodland, bountiful meadows and a wetland with heightened colour and fun oversized bog plants”.

The King and Queen will tour Chelsea, accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the day before the annual horticultural celebration opens to the public.

Royal visit to Chelsea Flower Show
The King and Queen speak with Manoj Malde, an ambassador for inclusivity, and Clive Gillmor following their traditional Hindu ceremony marriage in the Eastern Eye Garden of Unity at Chelsea last year (Toby Melville/PA)

Charles and Camilla will also see the Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Balcony Garden, where hardy tropical planting has been used to mirror the structural layers of a jungle.

And they will visit the Moroto no IE Garden, 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”.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024
Finishing touches are put in place ahead of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Charles is a passionate gardener, who spent more than 35 years transforming the garden at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire.

Ms Matterson said: “It means the world to the RHS and our wider horticultural family of growers, nurseries, gardeners, designers and plantspeople that Their Majesties The King and Queen, accompanied by The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are visiting RHS Chelsea again this year.”

Chelsea Flower Show
The late Queen presenting her son the then-Prince of Wales with the Royal Horticultural Society’s most prestigious award, the Victoria Medal of Honour at Chelsea in 2008 (Sang Tan/PA)

The visit is the latest in a number of official appearances for Charles since his return to public duties after his cancer diagnosis.

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