Queen Camilla says she spends ‘too long’ gardening: ‘Everything creaks and groans’

The royal is an avid gardener

Camilla, then-Duchess of Cornwall, planting new Nye Bevan and Roald Dahl roses alongside Trust staff when she visited the hospital garden at The Whittington Hospital on 12 May 2021 (Getty Images)

The Queen has said that while she continues to indulge in her passion for gardening, her body “creaks and groans” when she spends too long there.

The 75-year-old, who is an avid gardener, made the comment during a visit to the historic Armagh Robinson library in Northern Ireland.

While speaking to members of Dementia NI during the visit, Camilla said: “I love gardening. I’m a passionate gardener. And it’s very therapeutic. But I always stay too long. Everything creaks and groans.”

Camilla and King Charles III recently finished their two-day visit to Northern Ireland, their first since they were crowned in the coronation on 6 May. It was also Charles’s first trip to Armagh in 23 years.

The Queen went to the 252-year-old library to meet with volunteers and children from Drelincourt School, who speak English as a second language.

She was given a compliment by six-year-old Angela Baleva, whose first language is Bulgarian. According to The Times, Angela gifted the Queen with a picture she had coloured in and said: “I told the Queen I thought she was beautiful and she said thank you.”

During the visit, both royals met young school children, including two eight-year-olds who donned handmade crowns called Charles and Camilla.

While the Queen went to the library, King Charles spent his second day of the visit attending a service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, Co Armagh.

Queen Camilla visits Robinson Library, Armagh, Northern Ireland, as part of a two day visit to Northern Ireland with King Charles III, Thursday May 25, 2023 (AP)

Later, they met members of the Methodist College Belfast choir, who sang at the coronation in Westminster Abbey.

A cultural performance took place on a stage at Market Theatre Square in Armagh, featuring performers who showcased Ulster Scots, Irish, Chinese and South Asian cultures through traditional music, song and dance.

Charles stepped onto the stage to address the crowd and thank the community for its hospitality.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend a Celebration of Culture at Market Theatre Square on May 25, 2023 (Getty Images)

“I did just want to say before we leave that it’s been the greatest pleasure to join you here today,” the monarch said.

“I realise it was 23 years ago since I was last here and, I think, opened The Market Place building, which I’m so pleased to see is still going strong and I hope making a huge difference to Armagh.”

He joked about their visit “totally” disrupting school exams for a number of children he and Camilla met during the visit.

“But I’ve told them that if they don’t pass their exams, it’s bound to be my fault,” he added.

“But thank you so much for the warmth of your welcome and indeed for showing us just what an enormously diverse and a number of cultures and traditions there are here now in this part of Northern Ireland.”

Additional reporting by PA