According to a highly renowned Royal Family source, the Princess of Wales has always ‘drawn immense strength and inspiration from nature and outdoor living
Kate Middleton’s love of gardening will help her recuperate, according to Royal expert Jennie Bond. The Princess of Wales has had a difficult start to 2024 following her unexpected cancer diagnosis.
However, former BBC Royal journalist Jennie believes Kate, like many others during the spring and summer months, will find solace in her beloved gardens. She believes that the peace and quiet may even aid the Princess’ health fight.
Jennie commented, “I’m sure Catherine will find much comfort in her gardens and the delight of being outside during these months of recovery. Winter in the United Kingdom may be pretty gray at times, and it can be especially bleak when you are recovering from major surgery.
“Catherine has always found immense strength and inspiration in nature and outdoor life. And there’s something reassuring and positive about seeing green shoots in the spring, especially if you sowed the seeds yourself. She will have drawn on her love of gardening and environment, possibly planting seeds with her children and watching the first green shoots emerge. New life. A new hope. “A new cycle.”
Kate has continually spoken about the benefits of outdoor activities on both our emotional and physical health, in addition to boosting early childhood development. According to the Mirror, just stepping outside will definitely give her an extra boost to confront her treatment and recuperation, as it did for her father-in-law, King Charles.
Kate has openly expressed her love of the outdoors over the years, and she frequently shares her gardening adventures. One example was in 2012, when she explained how she raises her own potatoes in bags. In 2019, Kate participated in a community project at King Henry’s Walk Garden in Islington that aimed to bring together gardening enthusiasts in London. She didn’t hesitate to participate in hands-on activities like a winter planting class and bird-box construction.
Last year, the Duchess backed the Royal Horticultural Society’s school gardening campaign, which aims to introduce young people to gardening and nature. To demonstrate her personal commitment to this program, Kate revealed that her youngest kid, Louis, is following in her horticultural footsteps, adding, “Louis is growing broad beans at school.”
Kate, like any typical Brit, admitted to enjoying outings to the local garden centre. In 2020, she paid a single visit to Fakenham Garden Centre near her Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, and stated, “It’s such a great space for children and families to come to.”
She noted that her children “love it” and that George is particularly interested in the Venus flytrap, a carnivorous plant.
Kate also reported that all three of her children cultivated tomatoes during lockdown, saying with delight: “They were very excited to grow them from seeds, and now they’re as tall as them.”
One of Kate’s most memorable moments was at the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The Duchess made her debut with the Back to Nature Garden, which was obviously intended to be enjoyed by people of all ages.
George Plumptre, a royal gardening author, stated, “I believe Kate is quite interested in gardening. She’s been working hard at Anmer, her Norfolk home, and, of course, her garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s good to see personal involvement from one generation of royals to the next.”
In keeping with her treasured nickname, the ‘Children’s Princess,’ Kate made certain that the garden was entirely focused on children. The space was packed with exciting attractions, including spots for toasting marshmallows over a campfire, a small waterfall, a hollow log to explore for young adventurers, and a den fashioned from hazel sticks picked by Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis on their woods walks.
“I believe that spending time outdoors when we are young can play a role in laying the foundations for children to become happy, healthy adults,” said Kate. “I really feel that nature and being interactive outdoors has huge benefits for our physical and mental wellbeing, particularly for young kiddies.”
The Duchess was actively involved in the design of the garden, according to co-designers Kate, Andree Davies and Adam White. Sue Biggs, a former director general of the Royal Horticultural Society, said of Kate’s involvement, saying, “She took a very active role in the garden’s design and came up with the original concept.”
Before the Chelsea Flower Show opened to the public, George, now ten, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five, were among the first to discover the garden’s allure. When their father, Prince William, asked them to rate the garden ‘out of 10′, Prince George enthusiastically gave it a ’20’, causing William to joke, “Twenty out of ten? That is pretty good. I think Mummy has done well.”
Kate echoed the sentiment, saying, “I’ve got such fond memories of being in the garden and being outside from my own childhood, and I’m sharing that with my own children.”
