Royal Signatures Throuh the Years

This year’s exhibition in the Ballroom of Sandringham House celebrates horticulture and the enduring relationship between the British Royal Family and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), of which His Majesty The King is now Patron.

The exhibition will showcase a collection of Royal Signature Paintings from the RHS Lindley Collection, which has a long tradition of commissioning exquisite floral artworks by significant botanical artists, signed by royal patrons and honorary fellows.

The works have all been signed by a member of the royal family, dating back over 200 years to 1816. Queen Charlotte, consort to King George III, became the RHS’s first royal patron and, to celebrate, a special painting from artist William Hooker was commissioned and signed by the Queen.

Since then, more than 40 decorative ‘royal signatures’ have been created. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were particularly enthusiastic supporters. They persuaded members of their extended family and the European monarchy to join as honorary members and sign paintings. The delicate works feature flowers and plants that were associated with the signatory’s family, country or horticultural interests.

One of the pieces from 2013 features the signatures of the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in the centre of paintings of plants from the wildflower meadow at Highgrove.

His Majesty King Charles III has had a lifelong passion for gardening and became the RHS’s fifteenth royal patron in 2024. He is transforming the gardens at The Sandringham Estate into spaces for people to think and contemplate and will also host the first ever RHS Flower Show at Sandringham in 2026.

This is the first time that the public will be able to see a curated collection of 25 royal signatures in the stunning surroundings of the Sandringham ballroom.