Beaming Sir David Beckham unveils rose named for him thanks to daughter Harper as he meets the King and Alan Titchmarsh at star-studded Chelsea Flower Show attended by Spencer Matthews and pregnant Vogue Williams
Sir David Beckham beamed as he unveiled a rose named after him at the Chelsea Flower Show garden he designed alongside King Charles and Alan Titchmarsh.
It was his daughter Harper’s idea to name the Sir David Beckham Rose, in a touching tribute to mark her father’s 50th birthday last year, with its official launch a highly anticipated moment of the star-studded day one at the show.
The English shrub rose with luminous white flowers is said to have ‘exceptional vigour’ and a complex fragrance with hints of banana, clove and myrrh.
Brits can adorn their own gardens with the variant after it became available to buy, from today, through celebrated rose breeder David Austin’s Shropshire plant centre and from selected stockists.
For each £27.50 rose sold, £2.50 will be donated to The King’s Foundation, which was set up by the monarch in 1990 to create sustainable communities and now boasts Sir David as an ambassador.
The public can also catch a glimpse of the rose growing among the King’s Foundation Curious Garden, an exhibition display designed with input from Sir David, the King and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh.
The trio collaborated over their shared love of horticulture and desire to encourage the nation to ‘discover the joy of getting curious about gardening’.
At the heart of the new garden is an oak-framed building, which represents a museum of garden curiosities.
King Charles and David Beckham shared a laugh at the Chelsea Flower Show this afternoon – with Sir David proudly wearing his rose
Alan Titchmarsh, Sir David and the King, who collaborated to help design a display at the show
Sir David having his button hole rose adjusted
The King and Queen Camilla arrived in the late afternoon to day one of the show
Their majesties posted for a group photo in the King’s Foundation Curious Garden
A framed newspaper cutting of the King’s 1995 Christmas card hangs on the wall of the shed in the garden, which shows the King, then Prince of Wales, sitting on a bench in his garden at Highgrove with his two sons Princes William and Harry standing inside giant flower pots.
Four gnomes were also snuck into the shed after the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) lifted a ban on them this year, a move which would likely bring joy to the King who is said to humorously move around some of his own.
Under the vision of head designer Frances Tophill, the display also features a vegetable patch and beehive, inspired by the King and Sir David’s shared enthusiasm for beekeeping and producing natural honey, as well as the newly-named rose.
Key plants among the display include delphiniums, known to be a favourite of the King’s, wheat, pistachio and mulberry.
As she was shown round the garden, the Queen, wearing a dress by Fiona Clare and a bee brooch, told Titchmarsh: ‘This is so nice, it’s so natural’.
The King was also shown a flower installation created by Hamish Powell, a floral artist, who told the King that he had incorporated the King’s rose, the Beckham rose and a rose named after Titchmarsh into a design.
Sir David said that it had been ‘fun’ helping to create the exhibit, which he hopes will ‘encourage more young people to take up gardening’.
He said of his ‘very special’ rose: ‘Gardening brings people together across generations and gives so much pleasure.
‘To be part of something that celebrates that and the heritage of the English rose feels very meaningful to me.’
British rose breeder David J.C. Austin said: ‘The Sir David Beckham rose represents everything we value in modern rose breeding – beauty, fragrance, charm and strength – while also marking a contemporary moment within a long horticultural tradition.
‘We hope it will introduce a whole new raft of people to the joy of growing roses.’
King Charles appeared in good spirits as he was guided around the intricate displays
Their Majesties are due to visit the Royal Horticultural Society and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden
David Beckham has designed a garden alongside the King and Alan Titchmarsh
Broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh talks with Sir David
This year, the RHS lifted its ban on garden gnomes for only the second time in the 113-year history of its world-famous Chelsea Flower Show – which will likely be to the King’s delight.
The monarch has one of the divisive garden ornaments in the Stumpery at his Highgrove home and has been known, staff say, to slip out and move it around to fool visitors.
In a similar vein, four little characters made their way to Charles’s own display that were made by students from the King’s Foundation, which also offers courses to protect and promote heritage arts and crafts.
They had been discreetly placed on a shelf inside the shed and Sir David later brought along his two of his own gnomes to add to the collection, apparently painted by himself and his wife, Lady Victoria.
The ex-footballer had daubed his player number, seven, on the bright red hat of his figurine.
Elsewhere at the gardens of the Royal Hospital Chelsea celebrities including Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, comedian Bill Bailey and presenter Dame Floella Benjamin were among those showing off their own hand-painted, cheery garden ornaments.
They had personally decorated the figures, which will be auctioned off for the RHS’s Campaign for School Gardening to help children access gardening.
Bailey said gnomes have been ‘much maligned’, add ‘the Romans had them as guardians of the dark, and to protect against malign spirits’.
Titchmarsh, who was wearing a blue suit, said: ‘I did mine to match me.’
Asked if Chelsea had taken itself too seriously with its themes in recent years, the gardener and presenter said: ‘It doesn’t take itself seriously.
A ban was lifted on gnomes at the RHS this year, and Sir David brought two of his own gnomes to add to the collection, apparently painted by himself and his wife, Lady Victoria
Sir Brian May’s gnome ‘Billy Bad-Axe’, which comes complete with a guitar, will be auctioned off for the RHS’s Campaign for School Gardening to help children access gardening
Presenter Dame Floella Benjamin was also among those showing off their own hand-painted, cheery garden ornaments
‘It takes gardening seriously, which more people should do – seriously, in that it’s important, but it’s all about fun and improving everybody’s wellbeing, being out in the garden, you feel better.’
Sir Brian’s gnome, ‘Billy Bad-Axe’, which comes complete with a guitar, had already earned a bid of £650 by Monday morning, with the auction running until Sunday May 24.
Clare Matterson, director general of the RHS, said: ‘Every penny will go to support the RHS Campaign for School Gardening so we can get children up and down this country enjoying the benefits, the joy, the health, the learning of gardening.’
After seeing the Foundation’s garden with the RHS, Charles and Camilla split up to view different gardens.
After seeing the Japanese garden Tokonoma Garden – Samumaya no Niwa, designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara and Paul Noritaka Tange, and a garden for The Campaign to Protect Rural England’s Garden, On the Edge by Sarah Eberle where a huge sculpture of a sleeping woman had been carved from a single sequoia tree, Charles greeted Dame Judi Dench with a kiss on both cheeks and patted her arm as she curtseyed to him.
‘It’s wonderful to see you,’ she said, as they appeared to have a quiet discussion about a new Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Tempest.
The King was later introduced to a three-and-a-half year old cocker spaniel called Zinc who he leant down to stroke.
Speaking to her handler Luke Jones from the company Cape, which trains detection dogs, Charles heard how Zinc had been trained to detect plant diseases on a scheme funded through Defra.
Pointing to the dog, Charles asked: ‘This one only specialises in this?’
He was told that she was a specialist in sniffing out phytophthora, which has caused crop losses around the world resulting in significant financial losses for farmers.
The annual RHS event at the Royal Hospital Chelsea this year features a wide variety of show gardens covering everything from urban planting to wild wetlands.
Earlier on day one of the show, pregnant Vogue Williams displayed her baby bump as she and husband Spencer Matthews led the celebrity charge.
The TV presenter, 40, wore a pink strapless dress for the event held in London as she posed for the cameras and accessorised with a chic white bag.
By her side former Made In Chelsea star Spencer, 37, looked dapper in a navy suit jacket and jeans.
Meanwhile Strictly professional Dianne Buswell, 37, and her partner Joe Sugg attended with their baby.
Other stars attending included Kate Garraway who wore a blue flower-patterned suit and trainers.
Myleene Klass, 48, meanwhile, turned heads in a floaty pink maxi dress and added a beige jacket to the look.
It’s been a busy few weeks for Spencer and Vogue who were in Cannes for the Film Festival over the weekend.
The pair joined the likes of Nicky Rothschild at the premiere of The Beloved on Saturday night.
Pregnant Vogue Williams displayed her baby bump as she and Spencer Matthews led the celebrity charge at day one of the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday
By her side former Made In Chelsea star Spencer, 37, looked dapper in a navy suit jacket and jeans
Model Kate Moss also made an appearance where renowned floral nursery Peter Beales Roses will launch a number of special roses – including one dedicated to Kate, 52
Newly-single Cat Deeley looked as chic as ever
Last month, Vogue and Spencer revealed that they were expecting their fourth child together.
The couple shared their pregnancy news with their social media followers, alongside sweet snaps of them from their family trip to St Barts.
In a series of sweet beach snaps, Vogue showed off her growing bump in a black and white bikini and matching sarong, while Spencer gazed adoringly at her.
Beaming for the cameras on the white sandy beach with their three children, the couple wrote: ‘BABY NUMBER 4 INCOMING.’
Vogue previously said that she ‘had her reasons’ for keeping her fourth pregnancy a secret – after revealing she suffered ‘heartbreaking’ miscarriages.
On the latest episode of her podcast Vogue & Amber – recorded the day she made the announcement – she admitted that she felt ‘nervous’ and under ‘a lot of pressure’ ahead of her Instagram post.
She said: ‘To be honest with you I had my own reasons for wanting to keep it a secret because I was nervous about what was going to happen and everything like that.’
