Princess Kate Reveals Sweet Detail About Prince Louis at Chelsea Flower Show

The Princess of Wales is never more in her element than when around children, and she got to immerse herself in youngsters yesterday during a surprise appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show. As she interacted with schoolchildren, Kate revealed a tidbit about one of her very own schoolchildren, a five-year-old named Prince Louis, who apparently is a keen gardener at school.

The Sun reports that Kate told the kids assembled that “Louis is growing broad beans at school.”

“You put them in a cup, and you can see the roots growing,” she said of the experiment, per People. “They get big quickly like sunflowers.”

Kate—wearing a vibrant pink rewear that has also been worn by her mother, Carole Middleton—reemphasized the importance of being outdoors, telling kids “it’s so good for our bodies and our minds.” (She has famously talked about frequent outdoor pursuits with all three of her kids—Louis and his older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte.) Later, she said “My kids love being in the natural world, but not all kids have access to that.”

She also revealed, per The Daily Mail, that her favorite color is green—appropriate for a day dedicated to nature and the outdoors and plants—and asked the kids “Are any of you keen gardeners? Do you get the chance to plant things at school? What sort of things do you grow and then do you get to eat them? It’s so rewarding, isn’t it, when you see plants growing and then you have them on your plate.” As the kids discussed vegetables and herbs, Kate said “There’s a plant that smells like chocolate. I remember my Granny showing me that when I was little. It has very dark leaves and you rub it, and it smells like chocolate.” She then joined another group to discuss flowers and plants and admitted “Lots of the names are in Latin, and I can never remember them.”

Kate, like Her late Majesty before her, is a fan of the Chelsea Flower Show, and a few years back hosted a “Back to Nature Garden” aimed at highlighting the benefits the natural world brings to mental and physical well-being, The Mirror reports. The centerpiece of the garden was a high platform tree house that featured a swing seat, rustic den, and a campfire, as well as tree stumps, stepping stones, and a hollow log for children to play on.

Queen Elizabeth was a huge fan of the annual event and visited it more than 50 times in her 70-year reign. The Sun reports that Kate’s surprise visit was in place of Her late Majesty, and at this year’s event there was a tribute to the late Queen in the form of a life-size display of her beloved pony, Emma.

Before leaving, Kate asked the children she met to write to her after their visit to tell her “how we can make it even better for the kiddies next time,” and said, of her work as a royal, “the best thing about it is meeting kiddies like you.”