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No royals at flower show for first time in 30 years

BBC Buckets and buckets of roses in all colours pinks, yellows, reds and whites fill the back wall of the show tent at Sandringham Flower ShowBBC
Twenty-thousand visitors attended the 141st festival on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk

For the first time in 30 years no member of the Royal Family was in attendance at the Sandringham Flower Show, which opened to visitors today.

King Charles appeared at Sandringham Church on Sunday ahead of the show and thanked staff and volunteers.

Twenty-thousand visitors attended the 141st festival on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

Graham Brown, the event's chairman, said: "It's disappointing that the King has prior engagements but the people are here to see the show."

Graham Brown, wearing a black suit with a pale pink shirt and tie, leans on a metal barrier with lots of show-goers behind him. Weather is bright sunshine.
Graham Brown, the event's chairman, said the King had a late notice change of plan

Mr Brown said there was plenty for people to enjoy at what he called one of the biggest village fêtes in the country.

"The standard of all the vegetables especially are superb, and in the amateur flower arrangement tent it is spectacular we couldn't get any more in - it's full."

For growers the highest award the judges could bestow was a large gold.

Michaela Boggis from Jelly Cottage Nursery in Gresham, Norfolk, was one of those awarded large gold.

Michaela Boggis wears a pink cardigan a long jewelled pink skirt and turquoise crocks. She stands in front of a beautiful show garden of flowers featuring dahlias, agapanthus, berkheyas and crocosmia.
Judges awarded the garden of Michaela Boggis from Jelly Cottage Nursery in Gresham

Ms Boggis said that everyone was friendly and she loved the local feel of the show.

"It was lovely to meet the King last year. That was wonderful. It's a real shame he can't make it this year but, of course, the family have had some problems. We can't always have what we want," she said.

King Charles is currently undergoing treatment for cancer since his diagnosis in February.

A woman and two men stand inside a show garden at Sandringham Flower Show. There's a water feature made from old pipes and a bike wheel surrounded by leafy green plants and a sprinkle of pink and white flowers in the foreground
The Woodgate Nursery garden called Woodland Forge has a recycled metal water feature

A garden created by the team from the Woodgate Nursery in Aylsham, Norfolk, received a large gold award from the judges.

Kevin Myhill, from the nursery, said the team wanted to create something a bit eccentric.

"The water feature was all done with reclaimed material. Old gutter, there's a coal scuttle in there and a bicycle wheel, all sorts."

The idea was to encourage gardeners to think about recycling and not always buy items new.

'Sandringham is changing'

The Royal Horticultural Society announced a new show would be held on the Sandringham Estate in 2026, in a bid to "deliver world class horticulture to the doorsteps of members who may not have an RHS garden near them".

Graham Brown, the chair of the Sandringham Flower Show, said: "The future of the show is going to carry on, I will see the show through the RHS and we will work with them to make sure our show is incorporated with their show.

"Sandringham is changing and we all have to move with that."

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