Following King Charles' ascension to the throne last weekend, he spent Thursday carrying out state business at his beloved Highgrove retreat, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire.
The 18th century countryside estate has served as Charles' private home for him and his wife Camilla - now the Queen consort - for over 40 years.
Now seen as something of a sanctuary for the King, a spokesperson said that Charles visited the residence this week to partake in state business, including taking phone calls with governors-general, and contact with heads of state.
Highgrove house itself was acquired by Charles in 1980 - when it consisted of the bare necessities, including a kitchen garden, an overgrown copse, some pastureland and a few hollow oaks.
The now-King - a passionate gardener - has spent more than 40 years devoting his energy into transforming the gardens around the house.
Archive photos from Clarence House show Charles in his 30s - dressed casually in an opened-necked checked shirt and belted chinos - cutting a shrub with secateurs in one hand. In fact, he has done such a magnificent job that they are now visited by thousands of people every year.
The organic gardens opened annually to the public in 1994 and in 2019 Clarence House said tours, along with events, retail and catering at Highgrove have raised more than £7 million for charity over the past quarter of a century.
Each year, the estate – which also has an Orchard Tea Room – typically welcomes about 40,000 visitors.
To mark the Royal Family, the gardens are now peppered with personal touches - from a tree planted by Prince George to the treehouse built for a young Prince William, aptly named Hollyrood House.
And Prince George - who was just two when he joined his grandfather to plant a lasting memory - sowed a Balsam Poplar tree, which now stands close to the main Highgrove house, with a plaque bearing the words: “This tree was planted by Prince George of Cambridge on 23rd March 2015.”
More recent additions to the gardens include a wooden beehive that was a present from Fortnum & Mason, as well as a slate bust of Charles and Camilla, depicting them smiling with their heads together, which was a gift from businessman Sir Don Gosling, a close friend of the King.
And for his 70th birthday, Charles took on a huge project - installing a 'Azalea Walk', which is lined with giant terracotta pots filled with azaleas.
Fruit and vegetables from the Kitchen Garden are used for Charles and Camilla’s table, while cut flowers in the house tend to come from the garden.
And within the gardens, Charles has ensured that rare trees, heritage seeds and plants have been planted for future generations to grow.
Meanwhile, a Wildflower Meadow stretches out across four acres in front of the house. And across the gardens, Charles's favourite roses - the Jude the Obscure, a citrus-scented yellow rose - decorate the Shand Gate.
Speaking about how proud he is of the gardens, Charles said: “One of my greatest joys is to see the pleasure that the garden can bring to many of the visitors and that everybody seems to find some part of it that is special to them.”
