The unusual hobby Duchess Camilla has taken up ahead of her meeting with French President Macron

The Duchess of Cornwall is taking part in a campaign to support British Flowers Week ahead of her upcoming meeting with the French President.

• Camilla, who revealed she is a keen gardener, showed off her home-grown flowers in the window of her Birkhall home in Scotland, where she has been isolating with husband Prince Charles.
• Now, the Duchess is marking British Flowers Week, which is run by New Covent Garden Market and urges people to place British-grown blooms where others can see them - such as in their window boxes, front doors or gates.
• This follows royal news that the Queen has thanked royal supporters for their well wishes.

When is Duchess Camilla meeting with the French president?

Camilla and Charles will undertake the Royal Family’s second engagement since the coronavirus lockdown began this week.

The royal couple will meet French President Emmanuel Macron at Clarence House in London on Thursday.

Speaking via cideo, Camilla said, “In these difficult times, when we are all searching for something to brighten our lives, there is nothing that can lift our spirits more than our native flowers and plants.

“They are nature's healers. In our gardens, in our window boxes, or even in just a simple vase, their glorious scents and myriad of colours are veritable life enhancers.”

Camilla’s flowers were grown, selected and arranged by herself and included forgot-me-nots, cranesbill, alchemilla, tulips, peonies, poppies, cow parsley and Solomon's Seal.

The Duchess is also patron of Floral Angels, a charitable organisation located in New Covent Garden’s Flower Market.

The charity reuses bouquets used at weddings and events, dividing them into smaller bunches to deliver to community institutions, such as care homes and hospices.

Camilla said of her partnership with the charity, "That is why, this year in particular, British Flowers Week is even more important than ever.

“As the Patron of Floral Angels, who are based at the market, I would like to say a huge thank you to the New Covent Garden Market and The Garden Museum for making this celebration of the wealth and variety of British-grown flowers possible.

"And to the people behind them; the growers, the gardeners, the florists and everyone who appreciates their beauty and their contribution to our well-being.

“Keep safe and 'Say it with flowers’.”