Before Harry was the Duke of Sussex, before the Netflix documentaries and the memoir and the transatlantic headlines — he was a 16-year-old boy at a party who had to be physically restrained from throwing teenage girls in ballgowns into a swimming pool.
The location was Badminton House — one of the most magnificent stately homes in the Cotswolds, home to the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort. A place with centuries of royal history, strong connections to both Charles II and King Charles III, and apparently one very memorable evening involving a teenage prince and a swimming pool that his hosts have not forgotten.
GEORGIA BEAUFORT WITH THREE OF HER GARDENING TEAM
The estate is now preparing to host Britain's largest flower show for the first time — a significant moment for a property that has never taken on anything quite like it before. The Duchess of Beaufort has been doing her homework, attending Chelsea Flower Show every day in preparation, though she admits it feels entirely different when the event is happening on your own doorstep.
The grounds themselves are extraordinary — sweeping gardens, rare plants, a conservatory with hybrid ivy pelargoniums, and what may be one of the largest hostas anyone has ever seen in a private garden.
Badminton House has hosted royals, seen centuries of British history, and apparently managed at least one teenage prince who needed to be talked down from a poolside situation before the evening got out of hand.
Now it opens its gates to tens of thousands of flower enthusiasts. Considerably more orderly — presumably.