Ireland visit was brilliant – Queen
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth described her historic state visit to Ireland as a “brilliant” experience as she toured the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show and was presented with a rare orchid named in her honour. The Queen revealed her thoughts about the...
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth described her historic state visit to Ireland as a “brilliant” experience as she toured the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show and was presented with a rare orchid named in her honour.
The Queen revealed her thoughts about the Emerald Isle to Irish gardener Diarmuid Gavin, who created one of the more outlandish exhibits – a floating garden pod.
The television gardener was stopped by the Queen soon after she was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II orchid – the only one of its kind – grown in her honour by a Taiwanese team of gardeners.
She was joined during the preview of the Chelsea Flower Show by other royals including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of York, Princess Beatrice, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Prince Albert of Monaco, who was involved in an exhibit inspired by his home principality.
The Queen spent just over an hour touring a number of exhibits and stopped whenever an interesting stand caught her eye.
She viewed a traditional Japanese garden designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara that is also raising funds for the tsunami appeal following the devastating natural disaster.
The Queen showed her sympathy when Mr Ishihara showed her pictures of the havoc caused by the tidal wave, and she said: “It was really awful.”
Popular gardener Alan Titchmarsh showed the Queen around the Royal Horticultural Society’s stand and drew a laugh from her when he took her to an interactive display.
When small plastic square cubes topped with plants were squeezed, they made the noise of birdsong or bees humming – an initiative aimed at teaching youngsters about biodiversity. This caused a royal chuckle.
He said later: “I was showing how we get children interested in the garden and in things that grow.”
Princess Beatrice, who looked slimline in a figure-hugging Roland Mouret dress, toured the exhibits with her father PrinceAndrew.
She revealed her delight at the £81,000 raised for charity by the online auction of her royal wedding bonnet designed by Philip Treacy, which was unflatteringly compared to a toilet seat, a cat flap and a turkey twizzler.
Asked if she was green-fingered, the princess replied, “I really love gardens, I would love to have the time to do more. I’m the sort of person who puts a plant in and wants to see it bloom immediately.”