King Charles pestered by troublesome fly as he and Camilla begin to wind down for summer break

King Charles pestered by troublesome fly as he and Camilla begin to wind down for summer break The King and Queen made their traditional visit to the Sandringham Flower Show today, with the royal couple arriving on a horse-drawn carriage and being cheered by the crowds The King batted away a fly and the Queen got the giggles after being given a large knitted radish as they undertook one of their final engagements before the summer break. The couple were on their traditional pilgrimage to the Sandringham Flower Show, an event that has been held on the royal estate in Norfolk for almost 150 years. This year, for the first time, it is being run by the Royal Horticultural Society, of which His Majesty is patron. It also saw the monarch collaborate on a new ‘RHS Legacy Garden’ using local Norfolk materials to celebrate his long-held passion for horticulture, as well as champion rural skills and biodiversity. Their Majesties arrived on the horse-drawn Victoria Carriage throughout the Old Norwich Gates to the main house to cheers from the crowds. After standing for the national anthem they immediately set about shaking the first of hundreds of hands as they were shown round by RHS President Keith Weed and director general Clare Matterson. The King, who along with his wife had enjoyed a private viewing the previous night, looked delighted to meet with garden collaborator Catherine Macdonald to view his garden, which offered a county feel. The couple constantly stopped to meet and greeted the many thousands of members of the public who lined the route to catch a glimpse of them. "Are you all mad keen gardeners?" His Majesty asked. "I’m the same age as you," one well-wisher told him. "You are looking good!" "It gets much harder doesn’t it?" Charles, dressed in a summer beige suit and brogues, laughed. He also beamed when another fan told him: "You look so like your mum." Camilla, 79, sporting a pretty new £245 green Lexy London dress and a large plaster on her right thumb, asked another: "Are you enjoying yourself? There’s a lot to see." She was given a gift of a bag of citronella-based insect repellents by The Oil Hut, which might have come in useful earlier when her husband was forced to swat away a flying pest. The sovereign was invited to present a new ‘The Kings Biodiversity Award’ to Sophie Goldber who has designed the ‘Mindful Chef’s Gathering’ inspired by a traditional orchard redesigned for a smaller garden. He also gave an award for The Best Exhibit in the Floral Marquee Award to family-run business Roaleyn Fuschias from North Wales. Meanwhile Her Majesty presented The Queen’s Choice of Upcycled Containers Award to the Whissonsett & District Horticultural Society and Gardening Club, with a special award to Ingoldisthorpe Church of England Primary School for their appropriately-named ‘The Queen Bee’ design featuring a ‘majestic queen bee planter symbolising leadership’. She told them: "Very well done. It is such fun." The King also stopped to speak to a group of children from Weeting Primary School in Brandon saying: "Have you got a garden here? Have you been very busy at school? Do you grow any vegetables? Do you eat them? Have you tried any spinach - it’s the best thing on the world. Have a very nice holidays. You must be on holidays now? These poor exhausted teachers!" Meanwhile the Queen examined a large purple knitted radish with an impish smile on her face. "Thank you very much indeed, it’s very kind," she beamed. She also chatted to a girl from Brighton who told her that she had been a member of the Pony Club at Plumpton , Sussex, where she herself grew up. "So was I!" she trilled. The couple departed in their horse and carriage but not before shaking several dozen more hands. They have one more official engagement before departing for Scotland for the summer. The RHS Sandringham Flower Show is the first RHS Show to be hosted at a Royal residence and,like other RHS Shows, features expert growers and nurseries and celebrates charities and communities.