Prince Charles kisses Queen Elizabeth’s hand during the Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 18, 2009.

The Chelsea Flower Show in London was the scene not only of fabulous flowers and gorgeous gardening exhibits today, May 18, 2009. During an advance visit, Prince Charles received the Royal Horticultural Society’s highest honor for his passion and commitment to gardening.

Queen Elizabeth presented the Victoria Medal of Honour to her son during the royal preview for the show, which opens tomorrow, May 19. The award cited the Prince of Wales for his “passion for plants, sustainable gardening and the environment”. There is only one other royal  who has received the medal. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was awarded in 1961.

More photos below:

Prince Charles was also honored indirectly through a rose that was developed specifically for him. Sales from the new rose, called ‘Highgrove’ after the prince’s estate, will benefit the Prince’s Charities Foundation.

Also present during the visit were Prince Philip, Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Queen Elizabeth is patron of the Royal Horticultural Society. This year’s flower show features many exhibits that are in tune with the economic downturn. Credit crunch and low-maintenance gardens are among the features that the sold-out crowd will enjoy from May 19-23.

Images: Newscom; via Telegraph

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Emperor Akihito; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on October 28, 2008.

Prince Charles and Camilla arrived in Tokyo, Japan on October 27, 2008 to start off their tour of East Asia. They will also visit Brunei, after which Prince Charles will continue on to Indonesia, while The Duchess of Cornwall will return home. The Prince of Wales last visited Japan in 1990; the trip is the first official one for The Duchess of Cornwall.

The visit coincides with the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Japan. During this trip, Prince Charles will focus on promoting environmental sustainability, emerging technologies, education and heritage.

The British royals met with Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito upon their arrival. On their second day, they attended a private dinner with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Today, October 29, 200, Prince Charles and Camilla visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Todaiji Temple, one of the best-known Buddhist sites in Nara. They met with students in the Nara Traditional Craft Museum. Prince Charles also went to the Sharp Research and Development Centre to see how the company is using renewable energy. The Duchess of Cornwall met with children and staff from local Osaka schools involved in the British Council’s School Links project.

Tomorrow, October 30, Prince Charles, accompanied by Japan’s Princess Takamado, will visit Nagano’s Afan Forest to see how it is being managed sustainably to promote and protect bio-diversity. They will also visit a tea factory and meet with organic farmers. Tomorrow night, they will be the guests of honor at a dinner hosted by Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako at the Imperial Palace.

via The Prince of Wales website; image used with permission from newscom.

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Ward died on September 23 while playing a charity golf match at the Sunningdale Golf Club. He was a close friend of The Prince of Wales.

Prince Harry and Tom Parker-Bowles, Camilla’s son, acted as ushers at the service. Prince Charles gave a tribute to his friend of 40 years. Harry’s battallion, the Trumpeters of the Blues and Royals, played at the end of the service.

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Among the events for the day were a memorial service at St Paul’s Cathdral for the hundreds who died in the conflict. More than 2,000 ex-servicemen attended the service last September 10, 2008.

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The Duchess of Cornwall celebrated her 61st birthday last July 17, 2008. She and Prince Charles visited the Organic Allotment at St. James’ Park, London where they were presented with a basketful of produce, which included a giant green cabbage. The British royal couple also enjoyed a carrot cake made with organic ingredients, which Camilla cut with a garden trowel.

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Camilla wore exactly the same outfit at her birthday last year: a cream jacket and skirt by designer Anna Valentine, beige LK Bennett heels, watch, bracelet and a flower brooch.

Belated birthday greetings from the Merry Royals!

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In 2006, Prince Charles and Camilla bought the farm estate of Llwynywormwood, near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire. Since then, the property has been extensively remodeled to make it fit for its royal residents. It has also been renamed to Llwynywermod.

The royal couple is staying at their new home for the first time this week. They gave an informal party to meet the neighbors and those who worked on their house.

We weren’t invited to the party, but we still get a tour of the inside of the home through these photos:

images used with permission from splashnewsonline.com

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The British royals were joined at the races by another royal. Jordan’s Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein has a horse in the famous event in Ascot, England.

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The British royal family came out in full fashion for the first day. Queen Elizabeth, of course, set the tone with her usual elegance in a cream ensemble with black trim. Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall chose mint green with a matching feather-trimmed hat. Sophie the Countess of Wessex wore a simple dress accented with a green hat.

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The younger royals also dressed up for the occasion, in keeping with the dress code of the meeting. Zara Phillips came in cream blouse, black Ralph Lauren skirt, and asymmetrical straw hat by designer Philip Treacy. Her cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie also wore Treacy hats, Beatrice in black and white, and Eugenie in cream and electric blue.

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Zara was seen to enthusiastically greet her uncle Prince Charles at the royal box.

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