Queen hopes to attend Chelsea Flower Show on Monday if well enough

Queen plans to attend Chelsea Flower Show on Monday if she is feeling well enough – less than a week after her surprise appearance to open Elizabeth Line

• 96-year-old monarch is expected to attend famous gardening event on Monday 
• Queen hopes to visit alongside Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice
• Comes after her appearance to officially open Elizabeth line earlier this week  

The Queen is set to attend the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday if she is feeling well enough – less than a week after her surprise appearance to officially open the Elizabeth line.

The 96-year-old monarch, who is Patron of the Royal Horticultural Society, is hoping to visit the famous gardening event on May 23 at the Royal Hospice Chelsea to see the displays which celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.

Since the Queen’s Coronation in 1953, Her Majesty is thought to have missed around 11 Chelsea Flower Shows, according to the RHS – with the most recent being last year’s autumn flower show, which was the first in its 108-year history due to the Covid pandemic.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra are also set to attend the annual event.

The iconic flower show will feature laser-cut silhouettes of the Queen, surrounded by 70 planted, terracotta pots, representing each year of Her Majesty’s reign.

Established in 1913, the flower show has become one of the world’s biggest showcases for horticultural excellence, attracting visitors and exhibitors from across the globe.

It has grown from 244 exhibitors in 1913 to more than 500 today, including gardens, nurseries, floristry, educational displays and trade stands. The show attracts 168,000 visitors yearly. 

The Queen’s anticipated appearance comes after she was shown how to top up an Oyster card on Tuesday during a surprise visit to Paddington Station to officially open the Elizabeth line with Prince Edward – days after cancelling her appearance at the State Opening of Parliament due to ‘mobility issues’.

Queen Elizabeth II at Paddington station in London on Tuesday to mark the completion of London’s Crossrail project

Queen Elizabeth II planting a tree during a visit to Salvesen Gardens, a disabled veterans housing development in Edinburgh back in 2015

Pictured: Her Majesty is shown around ‘Back to Nature’ by Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge at the Chelsea Flower Show in London in May 2019

Since the the Queen’s Coronation in 1953, Her Majesty is thought to have missed around 11 Chelsea Flower Shows, according to the RHS – with the most recent being last year’s autumn flower show that was the first in its 108-year history due to the Covid pandemic

Members of the Royal Family will attend a private reception before departing the show and will be greeted by the president of the Royal Horticultural society, Keith Weed, before touring the gardens and seeing the displays.

The RQAF Benevolent Fund Garden – which harks to the Battle of Britain in celebration of the support the charity has provided to RAF personnel, veterans and their families for over 100 years – is among the many features that will be shown to the Royal Family.

Helena Pettit, RHS director of gardens and shows, said: ‘We can’t wait to see the return of a spring RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2022 and welcome our visitors back after a two-year wait.

‘The show is jam-packed with stunning gardens and inspirational displays and, with an abundance of wildlife-friendly planting, we won’t be the only ones buzzing!’

The 96-year-old, who now rarely carries out public engagements outside of her royal residences, was using a walking cane to assist her when she opened the Elizabeth Line of Tuesday.

Pictured: Queen Elizabeth at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2010

Members of the Royal Family will attend a private reception before departing the show and will be greeted by the president of the Royal Horticultural society, Keith Weed, before touring the gardens and seeing the displays. Pictured: Her Majesty at Paddington station in London, to mark the completion of the Elizabethan line

Her Majesty picked up a limited edition Elizabeth line Oyster card. It had already been topped up with five pounds for the Queen, who famously rarely carries cash

Her Majesty picked up a limited edition Elizabeth line Oyster card. It had already been topped up with five pounds for the Queen, who famously rarely carries cash.

Her Majesty also delighted crowds as she walked to her seat at the first of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations last weekend to watch a performance at the Royal Windsor Horse Show alongside equestrian, military and musical talent from all over the world.

A Crossrail worker showed how the ticket machine worked before the monarch asked where passengers could travel to.

Dressed in sunshine yellow, the Queen arrived at Paddington at 11.32am, stepping carefully from the transparent lift while holding a walking stick and smiling warmly.

Unveiling a plaque stating that she had ‘officially opened’ the Elizabeth line, the monarch spent 10 minutes in the station before leaving in a lift, escorted by her son Edward. The earl then returned to the concourse ahead of a return journey on the railway from Paddington to Tottenham Court Road.

Pictured: A Crossrail worker showed how the ticket machine worked before the monarch asked where passengers could travel to

Unveiling a plaque stating that she had ‘officially opened’ the Elizabeth line, the monarch spent 10 minutes in the station before leaving in a lift, escorted by her son Edward (left)

Her attendance was not publicly announced in advance, with the head of state facing ongoing mobility problems, but organisers were told there was a possibility she might be able to attend.

But in a major clue an hour and a quarter before Edward was due to arrive, Transport for London removed a plaque saying he had opened Crossrail and replaced it with one eight inches lower bearing the Queen’s name.

Following the Queen’s visit, the Prime Minister told the invited guests: ‘We’re all incredibly touched and moved and grateful to her Majesty for coming to open the Elizabeth line today. It was fantastic to see her.’

Announcing the Queen’s attendance, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: ‘In a happy development, Her Majesty The Queen is attending today’s event to mark the completion of the Elizabeth line.

‘Her Majesty was aware of the engagement and the organisers were informed of the possibility she may attend.’

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