Queen hopes to attend 2022 event, says Palace

The Queen is hoping to attend the Chelsea Flower Show next week, Buckingham Palace says, as preparations for the 2022 event get well under way.

Members of the royal family will visit the event at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London on Monday, ahead of its official opening the next day.

For several weeks, 44 designers have created 39 gardens to be explored.

It is understood a decision will be taken on the day as to whether the 96-year-old monarch will attend.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra are all confirmed to be attending the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) event.

Four of this year’s installations are said to be commemorating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Among the displays will be The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Garden, which will feature laser-cut steel silhouettes of the monarch, surrounded by 70 planted terracotta pots, representing each year of her reign.

The royals will also be shown The Mind Garden, which provides a colourful place for people to connect and open up.

It will later be transported to a local Mind organisation to provide eco-therapy.

Other highlights from this year’s event include the Hands Off Mangrove by London-based group Grow2Know, which draws inspiration from the Mangrove Nine racial activist group.

The RHS show is returning to its regular spring slot this year after being held in autumn 2021. The RHS expects up to 140,000 visitors will be in attendance across five days.

The Queen has been the royal patron of the RHS since 1952 and was a regular visitor to the garden show with her parents as a child.

She has attended more than 50 times during her 70-year reign.

The show begins on Tuesday, 24 May and will run for five days.

The BBC’s coverage of the event will begin on Sunday 22 May.