Could King Charles's new garden achieve the impossible and reunite Princes William and Harry?
I only ask because I spotted a fascinating detail, which harks back to happier times between the now warring brothers.
The King has collaborated with Sir David Beckham, Alan Titchmarsh and horticulturist Frances Tophill to create the RHS and King's Foundation Curious Garden for the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show, held in London last month.
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I was lucky enough to have a guided tour and absolutely loved it (particularly the colourful planting and the delphiniums, which are the King’s favourite).
But inside the oak-framed potting shed at its centre - described as a ‘museum of curiosities’ - was one very famous photograph. In a framed newspaper cutting was the then-Prince of Wales’s Christmas card from 1995.
Taken in his beloved Highgrove garden earlier that summer, it shows a smiling Prince Charles sitting on a bench.
Either side of him are two large terracotta urns - with a teenage William and Harry inside each one. The boys are grinning from ear to ear, and their dad seems to be laughing at their cheeky antics.
Nothing in the Curious Garden (so-called as it aims to spark curiosity in younger people for gardening) is there by accident. A duplicate of the Highgrove terracotta urns stands outside, while a lot of the curios inside speak to the creators’ families.
There’s some homemade Golden Beez honey by Becks and son Cruz, some Posh Pommes apple juice made by Victoria, a handwritten ode by Frances’ young nephew to RHS Chelsea dropping its long-standing gnome ban, a lovely watercolour by another of her nephews, and four gnomes - each one labelled after the collaborative garden family of King Charles III, Sir David, Alan and Frances.
A silent wish from a dad who wants his boys back together
So that happy Wales family picture - of William and Harry as brothers-in-arms before the death of their mum Princess Diana - is there for a reason. It’s a tribute to an earlier time.
I’d like to think it’s a silent wish - a plea, even - from a dad who wants his boys back together.
Wouldn’t it be great if William and Harry could bury the hatchet for the sake of their dad? After all, if the King can forgive and forget, shouldn’t they? Shouldn’t we?
Outside in the garden was a rose named after Sir David, and another after the King. Life is not always coming up roses. But maybe the princes could take a look at the joy in their father’s garden and turn over a new leaf.
This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.
