EXCLUSIVE: ITV star Alan Titchmarsh has since apologised in response to King Charles’ gardener’s claim, following a recent admission about his family life
Samantha Masters Content Editor
06:00, 21 Sep 2025
Jack Stooks discovered Alan Titchmarsh’s book during a trip to Scotland (Image: Getty Images)
King Charles’ former gardener insists he was once snubbed by Alan Titchmarsh when he reached out to him. Jack Stooks, who worked for Charles at Highgrove House for 21 years, said he had discovered a book from Alan and his wife’s personal library during a trip to Scotland with the monarch’s former butler Grant Harold.
Stunned by what he found, Jack claimed he informed the former Ground Force star, who he met during his stint as Charles’ gardener, but didn’t receive a reply.
He explained: “Weirdly, we were in Scotland once, I was in Scotland with Grant and there was a charity shop I was in, and I got a book out and I opened it, and in it was a library sticker and it said, ‘From the personal library of Alan and Alison Titchmarsh’.
“And I was like, ‘This is amazing, this has actually come out of their house’, so I wrote [to him] and said, ‘I’ve found this book’, and [I] never heard back.
Jack Stooks managed Highgrove Gardens for over two decades (Image: Instagram)
“I thought he’d be like, ‘Oh my God that’s amazing, we have never had it back’, but [I] never heard back.”
Speaking to Reach PLC at the launch of Grant’s Royal Butler book, he went on to say: “I don’t know [if he received the message] but I’ve still got it at home, I must look for it actually.”
When asked about the situation, Alan apologised and said he doesn’t have any knowledge about Jack’s message, but hoped he enjoyed the book.
The 76-year-old’s library is said to be located in the stunning Manor Farm House in Hampshire he shares with his long-term wife Alison.
Earlier this month, he revealed they had decided to put their nine-bedroom property on the market to downsize after many happy years there.
Speaking to Country Life Magazine, Alan said one of the reasons for the sale, which is currently at a guide price of £3.95 million, is to be nearer to their daughters and grandchildren.
Alan Titchmarsh has responded to Jack’s claim (Image: Getty Images)
Alan’s new venture comes after he also confirmed that he had scaled back on his working days to prioritise his family.
The gardener now no longer works on Fridays, and occasionally takes Mondays off, though is keen to continue working for as long as possible.
Discussing his reasons for reducing his hours in an interview with Woman’s Weekly magazine, he said: “It’s the old cliché, but you can’t get it back”, referring to the precious time spent with family.
“My oldest grandchild has just hit 13 and you think, ‘Oh crumbs! I’ve got a teenager as a grandchild now’.”
While he may be scaling back on his hours however, Alan’s schedule still remains packed with current projects including his Gardening Club series and Love Your Weekend on ITV.
Back in April, he also launched his new YouTube channel, Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh where he dishes out practical tips, step-by-step guides, and plenty of advice to fellow green-fingered lovers.
Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh continues today at 9.30am on ITV and ITVX.
Comments are closed.