The Duchess of Cornwall was surrounded by flowers yesterday, taking part in some flower arranging in the morning, then paying a visit to the Hampton Court Flower Show.
Camilla’s morning began at Clarence House, where the Floral Angels gave a demonstration of their work, recycling flower arrangements from corporate events for hospices and refuge centres.
The Duchess of Cornwall meets the team from @FloralAngels to find out about their work with donated flowers pic.twitter.com/nmgwWa4Fy4
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) July 1, 2015
The Duchess also had a go, and learned to make a bouquet from recycled flowers. The team used recycled items, including an old Clarence House honey jar. Camilla’s bouquet was donated to Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre, of which she is Patron.
After the morning engagement, the Duchess travelled to Kingston-upon-Thames, to Hampton Court Palace, for the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show.
The Duchess, who is a keen gardener like her husband, was there to celebrate the show’s 25th birthday. The show is one of seven major annual flower displays run by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Whilst there, Camilla met children at the Scotty’s Little Soldiers Garden, which was created by the charity. Scotty’s Little Soldiers specialises in helping children, bereaved of a parent in the Armed Forces.
Some of the trees bore messages written by children helped by the charity, and Camilla read some, looking touched by the poignancy of them.
The Duchess also browsed the scarecrow exhibition, in which children aged 6-11 from schools in the Home Counties, create scarecrows, and posed with an orange specimen made out of Sainsbury’s carrier bags – Mr Tickle.
During the afternoon, Camilla also visited several of the displays, among them a Floral Marquee and the Music Lover’s Garden.
In the heat, the 67-year-old was offered an ice-cream cone with a flake, and happily ate it in front of the cameras, as elegantly as expected from a Duchess.
Camilla also gave a tip to gardeners there – she said that a splash of lemonade in a vase of cut flowers keeps them fresher for longer!
Photo Shaun Amey
