Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales explore our new gardens

We welcomed Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, who has been Patron of the Museum since 2013, and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to our gardens today.

They were here to meet with local children from Kender Primary School, Lewisham, and students from Co-op Academy Manchester. Both schools are part of the National Education Nature programme, which extends our work on connecting people with nature by encouraging students to create new habitats and improve biodiversity.

Whilst in the newly transformed gardens, Their Royal Highnesses visited our Nature Discovery Garden where they joined some of the students for outdoor learning activities.

Our gardens serve as a living laboratory for the 400 scientists who work at the Natural History Museum. This makes them one of the most studied urban gardens in the world, providing vital insights into how we can live alongside nature.

“It’s been a pleasure to welcome Their Royal Highnesses to the Museum gardens today and share how our outdoor galleries are contributing to scientific understanding of urban nature,” says Dr Doug Gurr, our Director at the Natural History Museum.

“It was fantastic to introduce them to young people who are making a difference for nature as part of the National Education Nature Park programme which already has over a quarter of schools in England on board, putting nature and climate at the heart of education.”

This education programme is led by the Natural History Museum working with the RHS and is commissioned by the Department for Education. It aims to inspire action among thousands of young people across England, encouraging them to turn the ‘grey’ parts of their playgrounds into greener spaces by creating new habitats that benefit both wildlife and the school community.