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Kensington Palace
Catherine, The Princess of Wales, returned to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year with a special picnic for the school children. The idea behind the picnic was to encourage budding interests in gardening and the outdoors. The Princess of Wales has been a long-standing champion of the positive impact of the outdoors on mental health.
RHS
First time held in 1913, The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is one of the most prominent events of the Royal calendar. It was one of the Late Queen’s patronage. Every year members of the Royal Family attend the flower show. King Charles III himself.
RHS
The Princess attended the preview day of the Chelsea flower show so it is not yet open to the public. Many other royals including the King himself are going to visit the flower shows today before RHS opens the door to the public.
RHS Back to Nature GardenKensington Palace
You might remember in 2019, Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge, designed a special garden ‘Back to Nature’ for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The garden featured many elements from Wales children’s time in nature and Catherine’s own childhood memory. The objective was to highlight the positive impact being in nature has on emotional and mental well-being. At that time, Catherine had a long conversation with RHS about how to make more children involve and the school picnic is the result of that conversation. RHS is set to make this school picnic during the Chelsea Flower Show an annual event.
Kensington Palace
The Princess of Wales hosted the picnic as part of the RHS Campaign for Schools Gardening. 10 London based schools have joined the RHS campaign and each brought 10 students to the picnic. The campaign aims to give children and young people, from two to 18 years old*, opportunities to grow and connect with nature. The Princess of Wales was asked some interesting questions by schoolchildren.
“The Princess was at the annual horticultural show to encourage a love of gardening. But there was only so much chit-chat about broad beans and sunflowers the children could take. Asked by one what it was like to be a member of the Royal family, she replied: “You have to work hard, but you know the best thing about it is meeting kiddies like you.”
Pressed on what the family actually does, she ploughed on: “They help support all the different people in the country, showcase all the amazing work being done and look after everyone.”
One curious little girl asked if she made the law, but was told: “The Prime Minister makes the laws.” Meanwhile, Saron Fikremariam, 11, said afterwards: “I asked her what’s the first thing she is going to do when she becomes Queen and she said she is going to help kids”.
Kensington Palace
The Princess of Wales asked the children to write to her after the picnic with their feedback so that the annual event can be improved. Catherine took school children from different schools to three different gardens – The Savills Garden, Samaritans Listening Garden and Royal Entomological Society’s garden.
Kensington Palace
Continuing from The Telegraph story,
“Asked to sign their sketches, the Princess told them: “My name’s Catherine. I’m not allowed to write my signature, it’s just one of those rules.” She drew a flower for one little girl, a tree for another and a pond surrounded by plants for a third child”.
