In January, it was announced the Duchess had spent several months co-creating the RHS 'Back to Nature' garden. Inspired by childhood memories of the natural world and moments that will be created by families in the future. The vision for the garden was to recapture for adults "the sense of wonder and magic" they enjoyed outdoors as children. It is understood the Cambridges' Norfolk bolthole Anmer Hall served as inspiration and the final result will include features from their own garden. 'Back To Nature' is packed with elements evoking childhood, including a treehouse, waterfall and stream, rustic den, campfire and stepping stones. Indeed, it's been reported Kate will take George, Charlotte and Louis to see the garden in the coming days. Whether that will be Monday's preview day or a private family visit is not known yet.
“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.” - The Duchess of Cambridge.
The Palace revealed the garden is "filled with incredible edibles, plants for craft activities, forest scents and a diverse range of plants, shrubs and trees of different heights and textures". The garden includes forget-me-nots, a favourite of Princess Diana.
'The Duchess of Cambridge has spoken of the “overriding and debilitating” sense of isolation too many parents still experience in their children’s early years, as she shares her hopes of overcoming a “fear of judgment” to allow them to ask for help.
On Monday, The Duchess unveils her children’s garden at the annual Chelsea Flower Show, said she found it “heart-breaking” to know that “there is a long way to go” to ensure all children grow up happy, healthy and ready to fulfil their potential.
In a letter to experts, she spelled out her ambition that their work would help to “bring about the transformation that will make positive change for generations to come”, breaking a cycle of disadvantage and trauma they had seen all too often in Britain.
In creating the “Back to Nature” garden at RHS Chelsea, the Duchess is understood to have wanted to emphasise the importance of outdoor play on early years development. “In recent years I have focussed much of my work on the early years, and how instrumental they are for outcomes later in life,” she said. 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.”
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“What happens in our early years is vital to our being able to engage positively in school, and in work and society, and ultimately, to how we bring up our own children,” the duchess says of the scientific research presented to her by the group. “The first few years of life, from conception to five, are pivotal for our future health, happiness, and ability to cope with adversity—and probably more so than at any other point of our lifetime. Understanding that our brain develops to 90 percent of its adult size within these first five years helps crystalize how our experiences in these earliest years are so impactful, and influences who we become as individuals.”
Over the course of this year and beyond, the Duchess will continue to focus on this area of work through engagement with academics, policy makers and organizations. Her goal is to support the efforts of as many people working across the early years as possible, including researchers, practitioners, and charities.
“There are undoubtedly challenges in trying to bring about the transformation that will make positive change for generations to come, and help break the inter-generational cycle of disadvantage and trauma, yet I am inspired every day by the people I meet and am committed to supporting this endeavor,” Kate writes. “I hope my long-term commitment to working in the early years will help make a difference over a generational timescale.”
The Duchess graces the covers of tomorrow's Sunday Telegraph and Mail on Sunday.
Over the past number of months, Kate has worked with architects Davies White and together, they visited nurseries, suppliers and craftspeople who have been building elements of the garden.
The Evening Standard reports 'the Kate Effect' has seen sales of tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show surge:
'Kensington Palace revealed in January that the Duchess of Cambridge would help design a garden for the annual celebration of horticulture alongside landscape architects Andree Davies and Adam White and the Royal Horticultural Society.
The announcement led to an overnight doubling of ticket sales and all 168,000 are expected to have been snapped up by today or tomorrow. That puts the “sold out” date almost a fortnight ahead of 2018, when tickets were still available on the opening day.
“When the duchess’s involvement was announced, visits to the RHS Chelsea web pages increased by 100 per cent and there was a huge surge of people wanting tickets.”
The Royal Horticultural Society announced 'Back to Nature' will be relocated to a NHS trust after the show - with the chosen trust announced over the coming week.
It's always fun to see Kate's off-duty style. The Duchess was casual and chic in the Jaeger Blue Stripe Linen Roll Shirt (with thanks to Middleton Maven). The £99 piece is described as: "Lightweight in blue and white striped linen, this breezy shirt is styled with ¾ length sleeves, a polished collar and buttoned patch pocket." It's available at John Lewis and Jaeger. UPDATE: With thanks to HRH Kate, it seems Kate wore an older style of a very similar shirt by the brand.
Alexandra notes Kate's blue stripe t-shirt appears to be the same piece Pippa wore during the photoshoot for her book Celebrate.
It appears Kate wore her Berghaus Supalite II boots.
It looks like Kate accessorised with her Kiki McDonough Lauren leaf earrings.
And Cartier watch.
