EXCLUSIVE: King Charles III was the first royal to appear on BBC’s show Gardeners’ World after agreeing to host Adam Frost’s “cheeky” request
King Charles’ interest in gardening is said to have started at a young age
BBC’s Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost has shared what it was really like having King Charles III on the BBC show.
The 55-year-old personally asked the monarch if he’d come onto the programme after meeting him at an event.
At the time, the then-Prince Charles was hosting events about biosecurity – which refers to strategies that protect against harmful biological threats like pathogens and invasive species.
Adam described the King as “good as gold” and “lovely”, adding: “I think he was the first royal to be interviewed on Gardeners’ World, and it was only because I cheekily asked him for a favour, which apparently you’re not meant to do.
“Not that he said that because he said, ‘Yeah, I’m there’ and he talked a lot about biosecurity and yeah, I’ve done bits and pieces with them since on that.”
Sharing further details of their conversation, Adam recalled: “[I said] ‘Would you come and film on Gardeners’ World?’ The whole thing at the time was all about biosecurity, and the problems we have with pests and diseases in the country.
“And he’d set up an event about it, and I said, ‘Well if we can get it out to the public, would you come on the programme? I reckon we could get it to another three million people’, and he did. He was definitely a man of his word.”
Gardeners’ World star Adam Frost interviewed the then-Prince Charles in 2018
The green-fingered expert further described Charles as “brilliant” and recognised him as “a mad keen gardener”, who had a deep understanding of the horticultural environment.
“So for me, if I’m honest, it doesn’t really matter if he’s the King or not, he sort of cares about the same stuff that I care about,” he added. “So, it was two fellas have a conversation.”
This special episode, which aired in 2018, was filmed at Highgrove House, where they also delved into the royal’s passion for gardens and British landscapes.
According to Jinny Blom, a landscape architect and garden designer, the King owns a garden at his private residence of Highgrove near Tetbury in the Cotswolds.
He reportedly purchased the estate in 1980 and refers to the farm and gardens as his “one very small attempt to heal the appalling short-sighted damage done to the soil, the landscape and our own souls”.
Jinny told Gardens Illustrated: “This one statement is the mark of the man. He cares deeply for all the things that we all now realise matter as much as life itself, and he has done so for a very long time.”
Meanwhile, Adam will be back on screens alongside Sophie Raworth this evening, offering fans a sneak peek at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show airs tonight at 6pm on BBC One.