Chelsea Flower Show: Queen Elizabeth II and other royals reveal their favourite flowers

The British royals revealed their favourite flowers to the public after virtually attending the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday, which was held online for the first time in history due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As the Chelsea Flower Show, one of the British royal family's favourite events has been closed to the public to avoid social gathering, the Royal Horticultural Society hosted its first "virtual Chelsea" event to mark the occasion. In addition, the fans of the event got to know about the favourite flowers of Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family.

The royals revealed that they have kept their favourite flowers to themselves for years. Some members of the royal family also took pictures of their flowers and shared them on social media to mark the beginning of the Chelsea Flower Show online.

The queen, who had earlier revealed that "plants, trees, and flowers have been a source of pleasure" throughout her life even though she is not an expert in gardening, shared that there is one flower that holds an important place in her life. Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the British monarch, revealed that the flower which brings the 94-year-old so much joy is the lily of the valley.

"Lily of the valley featured in Her Majesty's coronation bouquet and has held special associations since," the palace wrote on its official Twitter account alongside pictures of the bell-shaped white flowers and the 94-year-old holding the bouquet at her coronation.

Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the British throne, chose "gloriously apparelled" delphiniums with its "impeccable bearing and massed in platoons" as his favourite flowers. Pictures of the 71-year-old looking at the delphiniums at the Highgrove Gardens in 2019 were also shared by the Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall opted for Alchemilla Mollis, saying: "This acid green fluffy - flowered plant is one of the best ever foliage plants for the garden and the vase. A must for every gardener."

The palace then shared pictures of Princess Anne amid her favourite flowers hellebores, also known as the Christmas rose, and pictures of Prince Edward and Countess Sophie at their garden with their favourite orange and pink azaleas.

Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, shared images of his daisies, while his wife Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, shared an image of one of her favourite flowers at this time of year, sweet peas.

Princess Alexandra, meanwhile, selected the Golden Celebration rose saying it "gives great pleasure to look at and has the most extraordinary and unique scent."

The queen, who is also Patron of the Royal Horticultural Society, released a statement to mark the first day of the virtual Chelsea flower show and stated: "My family and I have always enjoyed visiting the Show, and I know that your Members and Supporters will be disappointed that they are unable to attend in person this year...I was pleased to hear that you will be providing gardening advice and virtual sessions on your website, from Monday 18th to Saturday 23rd May."