Green-fingered Kate unveils garden project

Kate put her hands on 15-month-old Matilda’s head, danced with the youngster and playfully rubbed her hair as she relaxed with families invited to the opening of her Back to Nature play garden, at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden Wisley in Surrey yesterday.

Celebrity chef Mary Berry, an RHS ambassador, joined the duchess for the event and the pair even travelled on a tractor trailer to a fete-style festival at Wisley that marked the garden’s launch.

Kate’s new open space – which encourages children to play, explore and engage with nature – has been inspired by previous gardens she co-created with landscape architects Andree Davies and Adam White, with input from the RHS.

In a speech, the duchess told invited families from charities she supports it was an “amazing experience” being given the opportunity by the RHS to help create open spaces at the Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“I am not as green fingered as many of you here, but I was passionate about creating a garden that inspired children and adults alike to get back to nature and reap the positive mental and physical health benefits that it can bring,” the Duchess of Cambridge told guests at the event.