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King Charles' shake up to Queen's tradition at royal homes

The monarch is doing things differently

king charles sustainable flowers
Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
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King Charles III hosted a state banquet on Tuesday when the President of South Africa was in town, but there was one major difference to dinners hosted by his late mother Queen Elizabeth II in the past.

A spokesman for the King said: “It was the King’s decision to ask for sustainable flowers. "They are all seasonal and from the gardens of Windsor and Buckingham Palace. They have not been flown in from around the world."

WATCH: King Charles hosts first state event alongside other royals 

Floral centrepieces are commonplace at grand banquets, but the monarch has decided to do things slightly differently.

The table was lined with hundreds of glass vases with an array of buds taken from royal gardens. The blooms of choice included cyclamen, nerines, rosehips, anemones, amaryllis, chrysanthemum blooms and hydrangea.

buckingham palace dining room at state event

The tables were lined with flowers in glass vases

There was also trailing green ivy and flowering viburnum adding to the unique display.

It's not the first time that the reigning monarch has made changes in the name of the environment.

Earlier in the week, Charles added 40 new additions to his Sandringham home in the form of new trees in the garden.

The main Instagram account for the King's Norfolk home revealed all saying: "Over recent weeks the Gardens team have been busy adding forty new 'Tilia platyphyllos Rubra' large leaved Lime trees."

Charles took over the management of the grounds of Sandringham back in 2017 when his mother was still alive, and ever since he has worked tirelessly with grand plans of turning the estate fully organic.

buckingham palace set up for banquet with flowers on table

The King has made a sustainable swap

The jury is still out on when exactly when and if Charles will relocate to Buckingham Palace, as it is currently undergoing extensive renovation works to bring its infrastructure up to date.

It was first believed Charles and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, would make the move from Clarence House in spring 2023, but now reports suggest they may delay moving in until the property renovations are further complete.

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