Louis, up and running at Chelsea
Kate lets the children run free in her woodland wonderland
WHEN you have designed a woodland playground, it clearly helps if there are children to test it.
So naturally the Duchess of Cambridge turned to her own little scamps for help yesterday.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis had a whale of a time during a sneak peek of Kate’s stunning garden at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show.
George, five, Charlotte, four, and Louis, one, would have been in familiar territory. For not only did Kate use their time playing outdoors as inspiration for the project, which will open to the public tomorrow, but the children were actively involved in collecting twigs, logs and moss from around Anmer Hall, their Norfolk home.
They built a rustic tepee-style den and fire pit at the heart of the garden.
‘They’ve been involved every step of the way and the duchess was excited for them to see the finished result,’ said an aide. ‘Children – both hers and others – have always been at the heart of this project.’
Pictures taken by portrait photographer Matt Porteous show Charlotte, barefoot in a pretty pink summer dress, on a rope-ball swing and Louis under the watchful eye of his father Prince William. George and Charlotte are also seen dipping their toes in a babbling brook.
The RHS Back to Nature Garden, designed by Kate with landscape architects Andree Davies and Adam White, is a woodland setting for families and communities to connect with nature.
Kate has made ‘early years’ intervention one of the cornerstones of her work after seeing how so many problems faced by adults she has met – such as mental health issues, addiction and social exclusion – stem from their childhood.
She and her co-designers were keen to recreate memories, such as wild bluebells, from her childhood.
In an interview with gardener Monty Don for the BBC, to be broadcast tonight, Kate says: ‘I really feel that nature and being interactive outdoors has huge benefits on our physical and mental wellbeing, particularly for young children.
‘I really hope that this woodland that we have created inspires families, kids and communities to get outside, enjoy nature and the outdoors, and spend quality time together.’