RHS confirms plans to close all gardens for the Queen's funeral
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) will close its five gardens at Bridgewater, Wisley, Hyde Hall, Harlow Carr and Rosemoor on the day of the Queen's funeral, as a mark of respect, it has been confirmed.
The gardening charity issued a statement after Buckingham Palace announced the death of Her Majesty the Queen on Thursday evening (8th September 2022).
In a statement, the RHS sent their deepest condolences to the Royal Family and thanked Her Majesty for her support over the years.
"It is with extreme sorrow and deep respect that the Society marks the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Patron of the RHS.
"Her Majesty became Patron of the Society on accession to the throne in 1952. From an early age, The Queen regularly accompanied her parents to RHS Chelsea Flower Show, visiting the show more than 50 times during her reign, and always took great pleasure in touring the gardens and plant displays and speaking with exhibitors."
The statement went on to talk about the Queen's love of the great outdoors, especially the "peace and privacy of her gardens at Sandringham, Norfolk, Balmoral, Aberdeenshire, and at Buckingham Palace".
The RHS concluded by saying: "Her Majesty's support has always been a great source of strength to the RHS and we were delighted that The Queen was able to visit this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Her Majesty will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with the Royal Family, to whom we send our deepest condolences at this sad time.
"As a mark of respect, we will not be opening any of our five RHS Gardens at Bridgewater, Wisley, Hyde Hall, Harlow Carr and Rosemoor on the day of the funeral."
Earlier this year, the Queen visited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 for the first time since 2019 and was driven around in a buggy.
The Queen has been a patron of the RHS since 1952 and visiting Chelsea and its gardens, nurseries, floristry and educational exhibits is said to be a highlight of her busy calendar. Her Majesty first attended the RHS Chelsea in 1995, only missing 10 in her time. Before 2021, the last time she wasn't at the show was in 2005 when she was in Canada carrying out royal engagements.
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