Prince George ‘grumpy’ as Prince Louis leads in family sunflower competition

Prince George ‘grumpy’ as Prince Louis leads in family sunflower competition

The Duchess of Cambridge has revealed her children are having a sunflower-growing competition, with Prince Louis taking the lead – resulting in a grumpy Prince George.

Kate gave the insight into how her family have been keeping occupied during lockdown while she was helping to create a new garden for a children’s hospice.

The keen gardener joined families from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (Each) to plant a garden at The Nook, one of Each’s purpose-built hospices near Norwich, on Thursday.

Using plants bought during a visit last week to Fakenham Garden Centre near her Norfolk home of Anmer Hall, Kate worked alongside a volunteer gardener, staff and two families to help create a new horticultural design for a large patio area.

As she planted sunflowers with the children, she revealed that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are having a sunflower-growing competition, with the youngest sibling currently in the lead.

Kate, dressed in a summery floral dress, said: “The children are really enjoying growing their sunflowers, Louis’s is winning so George is a little grumpy about that!”

The duchess gave each child sunflower seeds and encouraged them to plant their own so they could watch it grow.

The sunflower has been adopted as the emblem of hospice care, a symbol of joy with the seeds representing patients and the surrounding petals as love, care and compassion.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was the Pope-Saunders family’s first time at The Nook with Sonny, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour shortly after his birthday in February.

The Duchess of Cambridge
The Duchess of Cambridge meets Sonny Saunders (unseen) and his family (Joe Giddens/PA)

“It was so nice to see her – and in such a lovely dress too – getting stuck in.”

Kate earlier told the family: “I’m always so blown away by families like yours, particularly having to go through all of this in lockdown.

“You show such resilience and bravery. You’re such an inspiration to us all.

“More people in the country should meet families like you, there’s a huge amount of change for you all to take on and you have coped fantastically.”

Kate also met Liam and Lisa Page, whose three-month-old son Connor was born with severe brain damage on March 5.

Kate meets Liam and Lisa Page and baby Connor
Kate meets Liam and Lisa Page and baby Connor (Joe Giddens/PA)

Kate and the families worked with sensory plants such as lavender, bay and rosemary, and the garden also contains strawberry plants, herbs, geraniums and hydrangeas in a calming lilac colour scheme.

Tracy Rennie, Each’s acting chief executive, said Kate wanted to create a patio garden and was given a brief to include plants with smells and bright colours.

Ms Rennie added: “She was absolutely prepared to get her hands dirty – she didn’t need the gardening gloves we offered her – and even plunged her hands into the earth with that massive engagement ring on!”

The duchess also re-potted a large sunflower that she donated to Each in memory of nine-year-old Fraser Delf, who died in January this year at the Milton hospice in Cambridge.

Kate and the Duchess of Cornwall recently spoke to Fraser’s family on a video call.

Royal visit to EACH
The Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to The Nook in Framlingham Earl (Joe Giddens/PA)

“The care and the nurture that you provide children and families in the most unimaginable circumstances is just awe inspiring.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to all those families out there who are caring for and looking after a child with a life-limiting illness.

“You do the most extraordinary job and I know it’s particularly hard at the moment so my thoughts go out to you all.”

Meanwhile, Kate revealed she has been missing members of her own family.

Chatting to people during her visit to Fakenham Garden Centre, the duchess said: “I’ve yet to see my family as they’re about three hours away in Berkshire, so I haven’t seen them and I miss them.”

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