When an invite from iconic drinks brand Bottlegreen dropped in my inbox, something instantly caught my eye, location: Highgrove. Purveyors of a cordial I adore had teamed up with The King's Foundation to offer a private tour of the gardens! I was pleasantly surprised to discover that King Charles' private country home was under an hour from my house in Bristol, and although it did feel like a crime (or at least a faux pas) to be arriving at such a residence in my humble Peugeot, those feelings of slight shame were replaced by sheer excitement as I pulled into the concealed, blink-and-you'll-miss-it entrance.
I was met by a sprightly security guard who directed me to a suited gentleman named Derek - another happy chap, ready to welcome me to Highgrove. He gestured me around the corner to a third employee, Duncan, who expertly directed me into a parking spot.
Car safely parked, I headed for the reception area, where it took all of three seconds for me to succumb to the urge to pull out my phone to capture the special moment. I was warned that this area was fine to photograph and film, but there would be strict guidance on that during the garden tour.
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetNaturally, we were greeted with a refreshing-looking drink. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic concoctions were served, so we could taste test the three different flavours for ourselves: Magnolia and Elderflower, English Rose and Raspberry, and Rhubarb and Ginger. The new blends were inspired by the Highgrove Gardens themselves - hence the reason for the day's royal backdrop - and made in collaboration with The King's Foundation. All three flavours were divine, the perfect level of flavoursome and moreish. The favourite in the room was most certainly the Magnolia and Elderflower combination - a real thirst quencher.
Canapés were served on the most gorgeous floral crockery, and we had a while to mingle in the bar area. The walls were a feast for the eyes, with personal painted portraits of key royal figures dotted around. I spied King Charles himself (of course), his wife Queen Camilla, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and also Prince William and Prince Harry. After we sipped and savoured, it was time to head outside to see where the plants that inspired the drinks were grown.
I've written about Highgrove for years now at HELLO!, marvelling over amazing photos and videos on a weekly basis, so I was incredibly excited to see if the grounds lived up to their outstanding reputation. I was constantly checking the weather app the day before - as drizzle and wind were forecast, we were instructed to bring umbrellas, but luckily, the precipitation held off for the duration of the tour.
Garden tour with insider insight
Instructed to keep our phones firmly away, we were led through gates and across the grass by Rob, our personal Highgrove Garden Guide; then we arrived at the crème de la crème of all views - here we were, peering through the Prince of Wales gates at the stunningly symmetrical sundial garden right outside of the main house. What struck me right away was the abundance of colour despite it being October - worlds away from my heatwave-battered, barely surviving garden back home.
The monarch's garden did not escape the harsh summer either, though. Rob explained that a Magnolia tree from the 1920s has not flowered for two years now, due to the extreme heat - choosing "survival over reproduction," he explained. Other botanicals have been blooming at usual times of year too, confused by the mild autumn and winter seasons.
It was then on to the magnificent kitchen garden, the walls designed to keep the area a few degrees warmer than the temperature outside, creating an ambient growing environment. We were given the nod by Rob that we could extract our phones from pockets and bags and capture the beauty for ourselves. Again, the area was surprisingly colourful and full of life, even in off-season.
Prince William and Prince Harry's natural playground
The stumpery was another part of the garden we were permitted access to, with special permission to film. It's a tropical maze of wonder, with surprises around every corner, including a pond and a treehouse, the latter being originally installed for Princes William and Harry when they were children. An incredible place to call your childhood home, and an unrivalled garden for hide-and-seek opportunities.
When admiring the straw roof of the treehouse structure, Rob offered up an insightful tidbit about a King's Foundation pupil, milliner Emily Hurst, who happened to mention to the monarch her struggles in sourcing straw for her hat creations. Lo and behold, months later, she was informed that an entire field of straw had been planted at Sandringham for her to use. It seems, if you want something done, King Charles is the man. Proving his hands-on approach, Rob also told us that it's not at all unusual to spot His Majesty roaming the Highgrove grounds with "a pruning saw in his pocket", ready to tackle any overgrown vegetation himself.
The final stop was the "money shot," which is a postcard-worthy vista down through the immaculate topiary with the iconic 18th-century house framed beautifully. I was first in the queue for a security-permitted photo here, and who could blame me?
The autumn sun managed to fight its way through the clouds, basking the garden in a gorgeous golden hue as we concluded the magical tour. Naturally, a stop at the gift shop brought the afternoon to a lovely end. I could have spent hours in there, poring over the Highgrove-grown goods and locally-sourced gems. Souvenirs secured, I headed back to the car, this time so giddy with joy that any earlier self-consciousness about my standard family runaround had completely vanished as I pootled down the gravel path while the sun set on a wonderful afternoon.
