Anne spots secret corgi tribute at opening of Queen Elizabeth II Garden

The Princess Royal chuckled at a secret corgi tribute unveiled as part of the grand opening of a garden in memory of her late mother at Regent’s Park.

Anne officially opened the Queen Elizabeth II Garden on what would have been her 100th birthday.

A skylight in the viewing platform in the garden was supposed to be decorated with cast iron wildflowers, but Ian Kebby and Ian Thackray, the garden’s blacksmiths, secretly added a corgi into the design as a nod to Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved dogs.

As Anne looked up at it, she chuckled loudly, adding the late Queen loved gardens because of her pets.

Mr Kebby and Mr Thackray then handed her a cast iron Princess Anne rose, to which she asked: “Is this for me?”

Anne wore an orange knee-length coat with gold brooch, a red scarf patterned with flora, and black leather boots, gloves and a handbag to walk around the new gardens with Dr Linda Yueh, chairwoman of the Royal Parks.

She also spoke with Josephine Jackson, the first female gardener employed by the Royal Parks in 1956, and said the late monarch loved gardens “because the dogs needed to go out”.

While dogs are allowed in the rest of the park, only assistance dogs are permitted in the Queen Elizabeth II Garden.

During her speech to unveil the commemorative plaque, Anne said: “Gardens are important for a number of reasons, in terms of historical perspective. When she [Queen Elizabeth II] was growing up, the gardens were one aspect of life that changed dramatically during the war to become places where everybody grew things, and then the spaces afterwards became used for other things.

“This is a lovely evolution of that whole voyage of garden design.”

The Queen Elizabeth II Garden, a two-acre site built on a former horticultural nursery, will officially welcome visitors from April 27.

The project, led by the Royal Parks, transformed previously inaccessible brownfield land. The viewing platform housing the skylight overlooks the garden and was repurposed from a water tower on the old site.

The garden was designed with biodiversity in mind. It features wildflower meadows, native hedgerows and trees planted to symbolise the strength of the monarchy, according to the Royal Parks.

A meandering path circles the garden and reflects key aspects of the late Queen’s life, including lily of the valley, her favourite flower, which was part of her coronation bouquet, and a specially selected magnolia that blooms in April, around the time of her birthday.

The garden was designed by HTA Design and horticulturist Fiona Packe was appointed head gardener.

The late Queen became patron of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 1952, the year she acceded to the throne, and attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show regularly during her 70-year reign.