May 2, 2026
Royal Season Begins as King Charles’ Traditions Take Center Stage
The Royal Family prepares to shift from diplomacy to tradition as Britain’s summer social season gets underway, from the Chelsea Flower Show to Trooping the Colour, Royal Ascot, and Wimbledon. A look at how the monarchy still shapes the rhythm of the Season. Plus, how the royals handle “spring cleaning,” why beekeeping remains deeply tied to royal life, King Charles’ very specific gardening preferences, and a closer look at a high-priced item from the Highgrove shop.
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A Calorouga Shark Media. Hello and welcome through Palace Intry.
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I am your host, Mark Francis. The Royal Family is
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now preparing to move from diplomacy back into tradition, as
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Britain's spring and summer social season is about to begin
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in the coming weeks and coming up next week, the
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first signs of that shift will be visible as preparations
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intensify across London and beyond for the start of the season.
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Often referred to simply as the season, this is the
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stretch of the calendar when the Royal Family, aristocracy and
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the wider public moved through a carefully choreographed series of
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events that define the British summer. It begins in late
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May with a Chelsea Flower Show, staged at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
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This is not just a gardening show, but a social marker.
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The Royal Family traditionally attends early in the week, viewing
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the show, gardens and setting the tone for everything that follows.
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Almost immediately, the focus shifts to Buckingham Palace, where a
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series of garden parties are held. These events bring thousands
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of invited guests onto the palace lawns, blending tradition with
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accessibility and offering one of the clearest modern expressions of
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the monarchy's public role. By June, the season moves into
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one of its most recognizable phases, Tripping the Colour, takes
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place in central London, marking the King's official birthday. It
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is one of the most ceremonial moments of the year,
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with military display, procession and familiar balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace.
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Soon after comes Royal Ascot, a week long meeting that
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combines elite sport with strict social codes. Members of the
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Royal family attend regularly, and the Royal Enclosure in particular
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remains one of the most tradition bound spaces in British
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public life, with detailed dress requirements and long standing etiquette.
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As the calendar moves into July, attention turns to Wimbledon Championships.
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The other turned shifts slightly, still formal but more relaxed,
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with Royal's celebrity and the public mixing and the stands.
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The Princess of Wales's regular presence, particularly at the finals.
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Running alongside Wimbledon is the Henley Royal Regatta, a six
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day rowing event on the Thames that blends sport with
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social tradition, drawing both competitors and spectators into a distinctly
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British summer setting. There are also other fixtures threaded throughout
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the season, from charity polo matches including the Royal Charity
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Polo Cup, to concerts such as the Proms and the
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exclusive events like Queen Charlotte's Ball. What ties all of
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this together is not just the calendar, but the structure.
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Dress codes remains strict, etiquette still matters, and the presence
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of the Royal family continues to shape where attention falls
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and when. As one etiquette expert noted, the season was
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actually created around the schedule of the Royal family, and
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even now that remains true. The modern season may be
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more open than it once was, but it still follows
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a rhythm set by the monarchy, a progression from garden
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to parade, from racecourse to center court that defines the
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British summer r incomes spring cleaning. According to a feature
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in Reader's Digest, the British Royal family approaches spring cleaning
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rather differently than most households, balancing practicality with the demands
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of history and tradition. Royal expert Beth and Holt explains
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that there are surprisingly few rigid rules, noting decisions are
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usually based on the nature of the item and individual preferences.
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She describes the royals as generally practical people who want
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their unwanted items to be put to the best use.
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One common approach is reuse. Queen Elizabeth IID was known
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for a wartime mat do and mend mindset, often repurposing
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clothing into new garments when items were beyond repair. They
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could even be turned into cleaning cloths. Other members of
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the family have taken a similar approach. King Charles Third
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has been seen wearing pieces that once belong to Prince Philip,
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while Princess Anne is known for rewearing outfits decades after
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first appearing in them. Holt notes that long term reuse
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is a consistent theme across generations. Is typically passed down.
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Historic pieces are viewed Less's personal property and Morris items
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held in trust, with examples such as Queen Mary's lovers
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not Tiara moving through successive generations, including Princess Diana and Kate.
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Archiving also plays a major role. Thousands of garments worn
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by Elizabeth are preserved in a dedicated collection at Windsor Castle,
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with select pieces occasionally displayed publicly, particularly for major milestones
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like exhibitions marking her life and reign. Some items, however,
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do leave royal hands. Clothing has been known to reach
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charity shops, often via staff, where it can later resurface,
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sometimes unexpectedly as valuable fines. In other cases, pieces are
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formally auctioned. Diana famously sold dozens of dresses in nineteen
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ninety seven to raise funds for charity, while other royal
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belongings have been sold posthumously to cover estate costs. The
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report notes of while a monarchy operates on a vastly
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larger scale than most households, its approach reflects familiar choices reuse, preserve,
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pass down, or sell. The difference, of course, is that
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even the most ordinary items can carry historical significance and
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occasionally substantial value more palace in just a moment, some
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wondered why the White House went out of their way
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to show off the new bee hive to the King
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and Queen. Bee keeping has been closely linked to the
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monarchy since at least the early sixteen hundreds. A book
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published in sixteen o nine helped establish the idea of
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the queen bee, reinforcing symbolic tires between the hive and
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royal authority. Writers of the time even used bees as
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a metaphor for an ordered kingdom, reflecting ideas about leadership
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and hierarchy. Prince Albert was documented as taking a keen
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interest in managing hives in the nineteenth century, helping to
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popularize the practice within royal circles. In modern times, bee
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keeping remains a regular feature across royal residence, as Buckingham
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Palace maintained several hives, with the honey produced used in
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food served at official events and receptions. Queen Elizabeth was
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said to take particular pride in the palaces honey, even
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gifting it during official meetings. Following her death in twenty
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twenty two, the Royal beekeeper carried out a traditional ritual
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and forming the bees of the change in monarch, reflecting
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the cultural importance of the practice within royal households. King
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Charles himself has long been an active beekeeper, maintaining hives
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of properties including High Grove and Sandringham. The honey produced
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berries and flavor depending on the surrounding plants, with efforts
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also made to encourage pollinators by planting bee friendly gardens.
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Queen Camilla has also been involved, serving as patron of
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a charity focused on sustainable beekeeping and maintaining her own hives,
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with proceeds from honey sales supporting charitable work. Other members
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of the royal family share the interest. Kate keeps bees
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at Emna Hall, while Megan Markel has also maintained hives
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at her home in California. King Charles is known for
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his passion for gardening, and according to a former member
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of his staff, that enthusiasm comes with some very specific rules.
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David Pierce, who previously worked in the King's kitchen garden,
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said the monarch took a hands on interest in what
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was grown and served, tailoring much of the produce to
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his personal preferences. He particularly liked spinach, we grew onions,
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leaks and Florence fannel. It was mostly working with him
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and his individual preferences, but squash was off the cards
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and absolutely no corgettes, Piers explained. Piers also described how
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precision played a role in the garden's output, particularly when
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it came to carrots, and he said things like cauliflower,
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and he particularly liked his crew to take carrots, we
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would have to grow them to a particular size of
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your little finger. The garden, located at Highgrove, the private
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residence of the King and Queen Camilla, was carefully managed,
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with certain crops given priority. Pierre said, we were growing
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mostly things. He requested himself a whole bed of salad
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and two whole beds of asparagus. He was very keen
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on that. He added that when the King was in residence,
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he would regularly walk through the garden with staff off
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in guidance and making requests. We would have the opportunity
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to walk around with him. He would tell us what
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particular things he wanted and when he to them. The
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shop at Highgrove offers a wide range of goods, from
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food and drink to homewere and garden items. Among them
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is a wallpaper design inspired by the gardens and I Grove,
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with one version priced to two hundred and sixty six
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dollars per roll. The product, known as Stumpery Wallpaper, takes
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its inspiration from a section of the gardens described as
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Tranquil Atmospheric Space, and features elements including tree stumpscreen re
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and guarden structures. Commenting on the item, former Vogue journalists
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Plum Sykes described it as very chic, adding if Megan
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was doing that, there would be a media storm. But somehow,
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because it's the King, it's all very chic and they
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have it. If you'd like to email us our addresses
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the Palace intric at gmail and dot com, please follo
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us on Spotify, Apple or the app that you are
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currently listening to us on. I'm Francis my thanks to
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John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good terms.
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00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:55.839
135
00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:57.439
136
00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:01.720
137
00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:04.079
138
00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:07.439
139
00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:10.600
140
00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:13.120
141
00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:17.199
142
00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:19.759
143
00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:24.399
144
00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:28.720
145
00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:32.600
146
00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:34.879
147
00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:38.600
148
00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:40.200
149
00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:42.960
150
00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.159
151
00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:47.799
152
00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:51.159
