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The Queen hoping to attend Chelsea Flower Show, says Buckingham Palace

Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, on May 22, 2017 - Julian Simmonds/PA
Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, on May 22, 2017 - Julian Simmonds/PA

The Queen is hoping to attend next week’s Chelsea Flower Show, Buckingham Palace has said.

The 96-year-old monarch missed the event last year for the first time since 2005 after the date was moved because of the pandemic. It was held in September, when she was at Balmoral on her summer break.

The Queen, who has been suffering from “episodic mobility issues” since last autumn, has appeared on good form in recent days with public appearances at the Royal Windsor Horse Show and the opening of the Elizabeth Line in London.

A final decision about her attendance at the flower show will be made on Monday.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princess Beatrice will be among the royals who put in an appearance, touring displays including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Garden, featuring laser-cut steel silhouettes of the monarch surrounded by 70 planted, terracotta pots representing each year of her reign.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra will also attend the show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

They will be shown around the RAF Benevolent Fund Garden, which harks back to the Battle of Britain in celebration of the support the charity has provided to RAF personnel and their families for over 100 years, and the Mind Garden, which provides a colourful place for people to connect and open up.

The Mind Garden will later be transported to a local Mind, providing eco-therapy for those with mental health problems.

The Queen has been patron of the Royal Horticultural Society since the beginning of her reign in 1952.

The Chelsea Flower Show has grown from 244 exhibitors in 1913 to over 400 today, including gardens, nurseries, floristry, educational displays and trade stands.

It attracts 140,000 visitors annually.