The Royal Family have made no secret of their love of gardening and the outdoors, and flowers in particular have played a huge role - not only in their daily lives and duties, but also as symbolism for significant events over the years. The King and Queen are both avid gardeners, while multiple members of the family regularly attend various flower shows around the country.

Now, former royal gardener Jack Stooks has revealed a favourite flower of the Princess of Wales, including why she likes it. 'Kate likes scented flowers,' Jack says to Good Housekeeping via CasinoHawks, 'like Lily of the Valley.' Interestingly, this was also the favourite flower of the late Queen Elizabeth II and, while it may be that Kate has always admired this bloom, it may also be that she took a liking to it after joining the Royal Family, learning from the late Queen.

london, england may 30: queen elizabeth ii is presented with a replica of the coronation bouquet by the worshipful company of gardeners in the white drawing room at buckingham palace on may 30, 2013 in london, england. david is the son of the late martin longman, of longmans florists, who made the original bouquet for the monarch in 1953, used photos from the coronation day and an oil painting of the flowers to help her recreate the exact bouquet. the celebrations begin on june 02, 2013. (photo by jonathan brady wpa pool/getty images)
WPA Pool
Queen Elizabeth II being presented with a replica of her Coronation Day bouquet in 2013.

Queen Elizabeth II famously loved Lily of the Valley, and it held a special place in her heart after being included in her Coronation Day bouquet. It was also hung in her carriage for the Golden Jubilee procession, and was even incorporated into a custom brooch for her Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Traditionally, the flowers symbolises good luck and happiness, which makes them a fitting choice for these important occasions.

london, england april 29: their royal highnesses prince william duke of cambridge (l) and catherine duchess of cambridge (2nd to l) exit westminster abbey after their royal wedding followed by maid of honour pippa middleton with pageboys master william lowther pinkerton, master tom pettifer and bridemaids the lady louise windsor,the hon. margarita armstrong jones, miss grace van cutsem and miss eliza lopes on april 29, 2011 in london, england. the marriage of the second in line to the british throne is to be led by the archbishop of canterbury and will be attended by 1900 guests, including foreign royal family members and heads of state. thousands of well wishers from around the world have also flocked to london to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the royal wedding. (photo by ian gavan/gp/getty images)
Ian Gavan/GP
Lily of the Valley featured in Kate’s bouquet and the hair of her bridesmaids.

For one of the most important occasions in Kate's own life - her wedding day to Prince William in 2011 - Lily of the Valley featured heavily. Like the late Queen, Kate added the bloom to her (remarkably similar) bouquet, and then also entwined it with ivy in the hair of her bridesmaids. The sentimental as well as historical connections behind the sweet-smelling flower explain why Kate may be so drawn to the plant, although it's not clear whether she's especially green-fingered herself.

Recalling his time working in royal gardens with the family, Jack says that the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as Prince Harry, would often 'look around and admire the gardens,' and that 'Kate especially loved walking around the grounds.' However, he says that he didn't personally see them 'get involved and do gardening [but] they might do it in their homes.'

visitors explore the new venus garden at windsor castle on opening day, enjoying rare access to the historic space and views of the castle’s east façade. the garden has been transformed according to his majesty the king’s vision and is included with a castle ticket throughout the summer.
Oliver Dixon
The Venus garden at Windsor Castle.

Last month, The King opened a 'space-themed' garden of his own, getting involved with the redesign of the Venus Garden at Windsor Castle, which is now open to visitors. Jack previously told GH that King Charles was often hands on with every aspect of gardening including designing spaces, saying he 'sketched out how he wanted them to look. So small scale to big scale – that’s how he does things.