King Charles’s peculiar gardening habit, once mocked by several commentators, has now been defended by a close friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Lady Glenconner, 93, who was maid of honour to the King’s mother, revealed she also shared the same odd practice.
In 1986, when he was the Prince of Wales, King Charles explained in a television interview that he talks to the plants in his garden.
"I just come and talk to the plants, really - very important to talk to them, they respond,” he said.
King Charles's habit of talking to plants has been defended
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Despite the admission being met with much criticism at the time, Lady Glenconner has spoken out in his defence.
“People used to laugh at the King for talking to his plants, but I do it all the time,” she declared.
“If a flower is looking limp, I’ll say: ‘Come on now, pull yourself together, for goodness’ sake.’
“If it’s a weed, I offer a stern: ‘How dare you come up again,” she told The Telegraph.
Lady Glenconner revealed she too speaks to her plants to promote their growth
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Lady Glenconner, whose full name is Anne Veronica Tennant, has been in regular contact with the Royal Family throughout most of her life.
Her father served as equerry to King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II’s father and the King’s grandfather.
The Baroness’s mother was also a lady-in-waiting for the late Queen following her Coronation.
As such, along with empathising with the King’s peculiar habit, Lady Glenconner also shed some light on his early years.
Lady Glenconner served as a maid of honour for the late Queen Elizabeth
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“I’ve known King Charles since he was three,” she shared happily.
“It was my mother who taught him pottery and let him drive her Jaguar,” Glenconner revealed.
Among those interests, gardening has remained a staple pastime across much of the King’s life.
“He sees the gardens as an important part of his legacy,” one close friend explained.
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The King's exacting gardening standards have caused consternation recently
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Charles’s passion for all things horticultural fell into hot water recently, as his exacting standards and claims of being “overwhelmed and underpaid” led to a walkout among his gardeners.
The King is believed to review the grounds of Highgrove during walkabouts, where he issues instructions to be written up and acted upon before his next return.
These notes are penned in "thick red ink", which can often be "strikingly specific and emotional."
In other instances, he has been known to express "giddy delight" at certain samples with multiple exclamation marks.