By Gardens Illustrated Team

Published: Friday, 09 September 2022 at 12:00 am


Since it began in 1913, the Chelsea Flower Show has always attracted royalty. Queen Elizabeth II visited the show many times as a child and attended her first as monarch in 1952. During her 70-year reign, she attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show more than 50 times. Here, we celebrate her love for the show with a series of pictures from her visits there over the years.

1952

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© George W. Hales/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A Chelsea pensioner salutes Queen Elizabeth II as she tours the Chelsea Flower Show, London, 20th May 1952. The Queen is accompanied by Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway (1979 – 1953, left).

1960

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© (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II on a tour of the Chelsea Flower Show, London 24th May 1960.

1961

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Colour photograph of Queen Elizabeth II at Chelsea Flower Show.

1962

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© George Freston/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II viewing a rose bed, exhibited by ‘Popular Gardening’ magazine, during a tour of the Chelsea Flower Show, London, 22nd May 1962.

1973

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© John Downing/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II on a tour of the Chelsea Flower Show, London, 22nd May 1973.

1975

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© (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip viewing the carpet bedding of the Royal Coat of Arms, during a tour of the Chelsea Flower Show, London, 19th May 1975.

1980

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© Graham Turner/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II samples the fragrance of an ‘Ann Aberconway’ rose held by grower Robert Mattock (1927 – 2002), during a tour of the Chelsea Flower Show, London, 19th May 1980.

1988

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© Photo by Ken Lennox/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II visits the garden show held in the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, 21st May 1988.

2002

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© Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles the Prince of Wales look at the ‘Healing Garden’, which was designed by the Prince in conjunction with designer Jinny Blom to honour the late Queen Mother, at the Chelsea Flower Show, London on the 20th of May 2002.

2009

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© (Photo by Sang Tan/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II presents Prince Charles, Prince of Wales with the Royal Horticultural Society’s Victoria Medal of Honour during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2009 in London.

2012

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© (Photo by Lefteris Pitarakis – WPA Pool /Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea in 2012.

2013

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© GEOFF PUGH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II listens to Prince Harry as she visits his charity Sentebale, the Forget-me-not Garden, designed in conjunction with Jinny Blom (seen here on the right), at the the Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 20, 2013. This was the centenary year of the show.

2014

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© RHS / Bethany Clarke

Queen Elizabeth II visits the WW1 Centenary garden in the Great Pavilion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014.

2015

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© (Photo by Julian Simmonds – WPA Pool / Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry attend at the annual Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea in 2015.

2016

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© RHS Luke MacGregor

Queen Elizabeth II views a floral tribute to mark her 90th birthday, designed by florist Veevers Carter, on the New Covent Garden Flower Market stand during the Royal Visit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.

2017

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© RHS / Luke MacGregor

Queen Elizabeth II visits the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London, 22nd May, 2017. Here, Raymond Evison, of Raymond Evison Clematis, shows her some of their award-winning blooms.

2018

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© RHS / Luke MacGregor

Queen Elizabeth II speaks with Ian Limmer on the Peter Beales Roses exhibition as she attends the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2018.

2019

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Queen Elizabeth II and William, the Duke of Cambridge are given a tour by Catherine, (known as Kate), the Duchess of Cambridge, of her RHS Back to Nature Garden, which she designed with landscape architects Andrée Davies and Adam White of Davies White Landscape Architects at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019.

2022

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© RHS / Luke MacGregor

Queen Elizabeth II smiles with garden designer Joe Swift (right) and Mark Gregory (far right), an RHS ambassador, at the ‘BBC Studios Our Green Planet and RHS Bee Garden’, as she toured the garden in a buggy with RHS president Keith Weed during a royal visit to RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Monday 23rd May, 2022.

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© RHS/Suzanne Plunkett

Queen Elizabeth II at Chelsea Flower Show 2022.