Duchess Kate gets 'so much joy' from gardening

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and Prince Louis explore the Adam White and Andree Davies co-designed garden ahead of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. Picture: Reuters

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and Prince Louis explore the Adam White and Andree Davies co-designed garden ahead of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. Picture: Reuters

Published Jun 1, 2020

Share

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gets "so much joy" from gardening.

The 38-year-old royal has previously spoken about her love of the outdoors and she's again stressed how much she enjoys being amongst her plants and trees.

Commenting on a portrait of a 72-year-old man at his allotment submitted by Zoe Norfolk for the duchess' Hold Still photography competition on Instagram, Catherine wrote from her and Prince William's official account, @KensingtonRoyal: "Thank you so much for taking part in the Hold Still project. I get so much joy from being outside and gardening too. C."

In her submission, Zoe explained why the allotment was so important to her subject, Ben.

View this post on Instagram

Today my project comes to an end. I’ve photographed around 80 households and 1 allotment shed with the lovely Ben inside. It’s been so busy doing the admin and processing and battling strong reflections on each shoot (there’s been two shoots without sun!) I hope I’ve created a body of work that will be a great record of these strange times. From a personal point of view, I have not been directly affected but know if I hadn’t kept myself busy I would have really struggled to stay mentally healthy as for me taking pictures isn’t about earning money, it’s part of who I am. 😊 Over 50 portraits can be viewed on my website ( link in Bio ) or see some more on @muswellhill.london ✨#photography #lockdown

A post shared by Zoë Norfolk(@zoenorfolk) on May 29, 2020 at 1:07am PDT

She wrote: "Lockdown Portraits: Ben, 72. Ben lives in a flat with no garden, he was allocated his allotment last year after 8 years on the waiting list.

"This year the allotment has been invaluable to him - he comes twice a day, finding it relaxing, tranquil, and a place to keep busy growing lots of veg. #holdstill2020 #allotment #lockdown #portrait #2metresofseparation (sic)"

Catherine has teamed up with the National Portrait Gallery for the Hold Still project, which aims to "capture the spirit of the nation" during the coronavirus pandemic.

The duchess has previously spoken about how "passionate" she is about spending time outdoors with her and husband Prince William's three children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and two-year-old Prince Louis.

She previously said: "As children, we spent a lot of time outside and it's something I'm really passionate about. I think it's so great for physical and mental well being and laying [developmental] foundations. It's such a great environment to spend time in, building those quality relationships without the distractions of 'I've got to cook' and 'I've got to do this'. And actually, it's so simple."

Related Topics:

kate middleton