UK: Private royal garden where Queen grew veg in WWII opens to public for first time in 40 years
During World War II, part of the gardens were transformed into vegetable allotments. Princesses Elizabeth Margaret tended to their own section of the allotment, growing vegetables such as dwarf beans and tomatoes.
Rebecca Taylor
Royal Correspondent
August 6, 2020
Excerpt:
A royal garden kept private for 40 years will be reopening as Windsor Castle welcomes visitors back to the palace.
The castle’s East Terrace garden was created by King George IV between 1824 and 1826 to give him a view from the new royal apartments.
Though it now has 3,500 roses, it was once where then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret grew tomatoes, sweetcorn and dwarf beans as the space was repurposed into allotments during the Second World War.
After the war, the planting was simplified into the series of rose beds seen today.
Prince Philip also had his own say in the garden design in 1971 when he redesigned the flowerbeds and commissioned a new bronze lotus fountain based on his own design for the centre of garden.
