The Princess Brings Back ME + EM Dress for Chelsea Flower Show Picnic

The Princess of Wales brought back a ME + EM dress for a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show today.

Today was preview day at the annual event put on by the Royal Horticultural Society. 

Also attending the preview today, the King and Queen. You see them here with Keith Weed, the President of the Royal Horticultural Society. 

Other royals attending today’s event included the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra. Richard Palmer of The Express shared videos of some of them arriving. 

pic.twitter.com/k0QCpsfxBx

— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) May 22, 2023

NOTE: I originally misidentified the individuals in the second video from Richard Palmer. Thank you to those pointing out the error. 

The Princess was at the show several hours before the other royals.

She was there for the very first Children’s Picnic, part of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening. 

100 children attended the picnic today, as 10 London schools who have joined the RHS’ Campaign for School Gardening brought 10 of their pupils to visit the show. More from The Telegraph’s story by Victoria Ward. 

The picnic, which is set to become an annual event, was inspired by a conversation the Princess had with the RHS during her last visit in 2019, when she unveiled her Back to Nature Garden and told organisers she felt it would be nice to involve more children.

The Princess, wearing a pink dress by ME+EM, sat down on a picnic blanket with children from St Augustine’s Primary School in Hammersmith, asking them if they were keen gardeners and whether they had the chance to plant things at school.

“It’s so rewarding isn’t it, when you see plants growing and then you have them on your plate,” she said.

Simon Perry offers details on what the Princess and one student talked about in his People article.

At one point, a little boy from Alex Reed Academy raised his hand — just like the classroom! — to ask Kate a question. “They’ve all been so polite,” a teacher says.

Ten-year-old Romasia told reporters that she and the Princess of Wales connected over the joys of growing fruits and vegetables. “We spoke about how fascinating it is to see how food grows. We talked about strawberries and how it takes time for them to grow and how rewarding it is to eat them then,” the student says.

We return to The Telegraph’s coverage. 

Asked by one what it was like to be a member of the Royal family, she replied: “You have to work hard, but you know the best thing about it is meeting kiddies like you.”

Pressed on what the family actually does, she ploughed on: “They help support all the different people in the country, showcase all the amazing work being done and look after everyone.”

Meanwhile, Saron Fikremariam, 11, said afterwards: “I asked her what’s the first thing she is going to do when she becomes Queen and she said she is going to help kids.”

After the picnic, the Princess and students headed off to visit three of the gardens at this year’s show.

We return to Victoria Ward’s Telegraph article. 

Told the pupils were growing sunflowers at school, she said: “They get so big, don’t they?

“Louis is growing broad beans at school. You put them in a cup and you can see the roots growing. They get big quickly like sunflowers.”

Picking up a favourite theme, the Princess extolled the virtues of spending time outdoors, telling the children: “It’s so good for our bodies and our minds.”

More from The Evening Standard’s piece. 

On Kate’s first visit to the world-famous horticultural show since 2019, the future queen and the children took part in a bug hunt, helped to plan a home-grown meal and discovered how gardens can support wellbeing – something the Princess has been highlighting for several years.

In The Royal Entomological Society Garden, Kate and the children enjoyed an “insect eye view” of the landscape, which was designed by RHS Chelsea gold medal winner Tom Massey.

They also visited The Samaritans Listening Garden, which is designed to be a safe space for people to share their struggles.

The Princess chatting with students. 

We return to Simon Perry’s People story. 

…she met with another group of youngsters at the Royal Entomological Society Garden, where they saw an “insect eye view” of the landscape designed by RHS Chelsea gold medal winner Tom Massey. Above the garden is a roof inspired by a compound insect eye made up of permeable “modules” for insects to enter.

Simon Ward, CEO of the Royal Entomological Society adds, “She was really interacting with the children — she was amazing talking to them about the insects and what they enjoyed spotting.”

Another view.

The Director General of the RHS spoke about the importance of the picnic. 

RHS Director General, Clare Matterson CBE, has introduced the picnic as one of her first initiatives to welcome more people to the RHS and to the joy of gardening.

We hope this picnic represents a beginning for children to connect to nature through a love of gardening

Clare said: “I want this to be a special experience for all the children at Chelsea, igniting an interest in gardening that will be with them throughout their life.  We know that spending time in nature leads to better wellbeing and creates a greater attachment and desire to protect and cherish the natural world. 

The Princess also spent time with some Chelsea Pensioners. More from this Yahoo UK piece. 

Now for our look at what Kate wore to the flower show today. 

She was in ME + EM’s Color Block Silk Shirt Dress (£450, roughly $640 at today’s exchange rates, sold out). 

The dress features a pleated front panel, point collar, gathered shoulders, side seam pockets, self-belt, and an asymmetrical hem that is longer in the back.

Many will remember the first time the dress was worn, when the Duchess of Cambridge met 5-year-old Mila Sneddon at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in May 2021. 

Mila, a young cancer survivor, was featured in the Hold Still book project spearheaded by the Duchess. More about how Mila is doing now from this April 30, 2023 story in Scotland’s Daily Record.  

She’s the little girl with the big personality who captured the heart of the Princess of Wales and now Mila Sneddon is celebrating being one year cancer free.

The seven-year-old, who bravely fought leukaemia, finished her intense treatment in March 2022 and a few weeks ago blood tests revealed she is still in remission.

The Princess brought back her Castañer ‘Carina’ Espadrille Wedges. The style is made in jute and suede, with ankle ties and an 85mm heel.

The design is available in what looks like an identical color on sale at Matches Fashion ($72). A similar color is in stock at FarFetch ($160). 

We saw the return of the Catherine Zoraida Fern earrings ($215) in 18ct gold-plated silver.

On Saturday, Kensington Palace released a photo of the Princess for World Bee Day. The Princess is shown tending hives at the family’s Anmer Hall country home; it was shot last year by Matt Porteous.

More from this Telegraph story. 

The Princess of Wales keeps bees at Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham estate, where each batch of honey has its own distinct flavour depending on where the beehives are situated at time of collection, including lime from the trees which line the roads, or heather and lavender.

She brought a jar of the honey from the hives for schoolchildren to try on a visit to the Natural History Museum’s new biodiversity hub in June 2021.

In the photo, the Princess wears the Apiarist Bee Suit in mocha (£269, about $335 at today’s exchange rates) by BJ Sheriff, a Cornwall-based company .

More about the bee suit from the product description.

Known as the long life suit due to the exceptional overall quality fabric and sturdy construction with the clearest veil on the market today – it offers you excellent vision and more enjoyable beekeeping. The perfect choice for your apiary needs.

The Apiarist comprises a roomy boiler suit/coverall with drop sleeves and robust central vertical zip. Hood is completely detachable by means of our BJ Sherriff’s Twin-zip system, or removed completely for easy laundering. The hood can be thrown back when not in use to rest lightly on shoulders.

The Princess also wears a pair of Hunter Boots. They are similar to the brand’s Original Tall Rain Boot ($175), but the adjustable straps on the Princess’s pair look like they are a heavy fabric, not leather, and the logo is bordered in gold, not red. 

I’ll leave you with one more photo from the show.