King Charles III’s Visionary ‘Venus Garden’ at Windsor Castle to Open to Public This Summer

LONDON: A newly reimagined garden at Windsor Castle, inspired by the orbit of Venus and redesigned under the vision of King Charles III, will open to the public this summer, offering visitors a rare opportunity to explore one of the royal estate’s most historic landscapes.

The former East Terrace Garden has been transformed into the “Venus Garden,” featuring a distinctive petal-shaped design inspired by the planet Venus’ orbital pattern. The garden includes perennial flower beds, evergreen hedges, tree-lined walkways and wildflower areas aimed at supporting biodiversity and seasonal beauty.

The site has a rich royal history dating back to the 1670s, when it served as a bowling green for King Charles II. Over the centuries, successive monarchs have reshaped the grounds. In the 1820s, King George IV converted the area into a landscape garden, while Prince Albert later redesigned it during Queen Victoria’s reign. During the Second World War, the garden was used as an allotment by Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret.

The late Prince Philip also contributed to the site’s evolution by simplifying the garden layout, creating formal rose beds and commissioning a central fountain.

Adam Scott, gardens and nursery manager at Windsor Castle, described the project as a major transformation aimed at preserving the historic garden for future generations.

“This has been a significant project to reshape this historic garden for the future, reflecting His Majesty’s vision to create a space that will offer beauty, interest and biodiversity throughout the seasons and for generations to come,” Scott said.

“After around 18 months of careful transformation, we are delighted to open the Venus Garden to visitors this summer, marking the start of an important new chapter in the garden’s 200-year history,” he added.

The garden has been planted with mixed perennials and roses, supported by around 11,000 bulbs. Visitors will also be able to view new avenues of pear trees, sculpted yew topiary, bronze Hubert Le Sueur sculptures from the Royal Collection, and large marble, bronze and stone vases.

Historically, the East Terrace Garden has only occasionally been accessible to the public, making this summer’s opening a rare opportunity for visitors to view the east façade of Windsor Castle.

King Charles III has frequently spoken about the importance of environmental harmony and biodiversity. Earlier this year, in the Amazon Prime documentary “Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision,” the monarch highlighted humanity’s connection with nature and stressed the importance of protecting rare heritage plant varieties.

The King has also undertaken restoration projects at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where he introduced a topiary garden and a thistle-shaped maze centred around a sundial.

The Venus Garden will be open to visitors from July 16 to September 13, with access included in a standard Windsor Castle admission ticket.