Wednesday 27th May 2028

I was at the core for the Chelsea Flower Show last week. To the Private View this year I added the Sunday preview of the preview, with a huge Beginning of Term Meeting of Members of the Council after a learned tour of the Show by an RHS team leader.

Nothing must be said. It was all incredibly private. What a glorious organisation is the RHS and what burdens it bears so nobly.

The Members of Council had to do the placement for their tables at the President’s Lunch on the Monday. Royston King was given an envelope containing the place names but he scrawled CBE on one of them and OM (or something like that) on another. People from Hospitality, Marketing, Publicity, Fund-raising were trying to explain: Do your placement as for a round table then put the cards back in the envelope in anti-clockwise order.

No reports emerged the next day of placement disaster.

Chelsea Monday must be one of the most gruelling but thrilling days borne by any organisation anywhere. VIP PV in the morning, private drinks receptions etc. Then the President’s Lunch. Guest speakers… 450 lunching. Then a Special Tea for Special Guests…. then… the Royal visit culminating in a Reception which must finish at 7pm. Finally the Gala… and more dinners for 450 or 500 going on in different places.

It’s all intensely private. Nothing must be disclosed. Our Royal person, whom we were commissioned to guide around, was in fact the most Royal person present. One leant into the buggy to address the personage, descended directly from Tsars and Kings, with no common blood, and received in return a devastating aura of Royalty, beyond words or even gestures.

One thing you notice about Royalty at a Reception – whenever you look at them they are engaged in the most intense conversation. Never do they stare into space or seem at a loss. Always, always they have something to say. The other thing is, even if you’d just landed from Mars you’d know that they were different. By their frockage and aura they are not as others.

It was much later that we met Sir Wesling Streeting, a guest at the Gala. I’m glad he was there and could see how Great Britain really works.