Kate Middleton and Prince William visit Chelsea Flower Show for the first time

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William and Kate have never been before which a spokesman said was down to 'diary issues'
Kate wore an emerald-green coat dress by Catherine Walker with nude heels
The couple walked through a floral arch designed to mark the Queen's 90th birthday
Prince Harry has previously been involved with the show when a garden was designed for his charity Sentebale

Published: 17:52, 23 May 2016 | Updated: 19:27, 23 May 2016

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made their first visit to the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show this evening, walking through a stunning floral arch to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday.

Although the Royal Horticultural Society event is one of the highlights of the royal summer calendar, William, 33, and Kate, 34, have never found the time to attend before.

The couple were accompanied by Prince Harry, 31, who has been involved in the show before when a garden designed for his charity, Sentebale, won both a Silver Gilt medal and the People’s Choice award last year.

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The Duchess of Cambridge attends the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time and wore an emerald-green coat dress by Catherine Walker for the occasion

William and Kate see the Princess Charlotte Chrysanthemum, an eye-catching baby pink bloom with green tips, which has been named after their daughter, with Prince Harry

Go green like the Duchess in a dress coat by Catherine Walker

Catherine Walker 'Evelyn' coat dress

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The Cannes Film Festival might be over, but the Chelsea Flower Show has provided us with plenty of glamour to make up for it today!

Jerry Hall, Naomie Harris, Rosamund Pike, Demi Moore and Donna Air were all there today, and now the Duchess of Cambridge has arrived with the rest of the Royal Family to check out the glorious gardens.

If ever there was an occasion to wear this Catherine Walker coat dress, today was it. She just had to go down the green route, right? Kate chose this fit and flare piece, which we've seen on several occasions before, and we love the striking emerald shade.

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Kate wore an emerald-green Venetian wool coat dress with a hoop shirt by Catherine Walker, paired with nude heels and a pale-pink boxy clutch bag and smiled at William, in a dark suit and purple tie, as they entered the show.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said the couple’s previous non-attendance had largely been down to ‘diary issues’ but added: ‘This year the diary has worked out fine and especially in the Queen’s 90th year, Their Royal Highnesses were keen to join her.’

They will no doubt be keen to see the Rossano Charlotte chrysanthemum, an eye-catching baby pink bloom with green tips, which has been named after Princess Charlotte by Dutch company Deliflor, the world's biggest breeder of the blooms.

The Queen, in a pale-blue tailored coat with a matching pastel, floral dress, was escorted by her husband, Prince Philip, to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and also viewed the 21 foot floral arch marking her 90th birthday - containing 10,000 pastel blooms - before being greeted by the President of the Royal Horticultural Society, Sir Nicholas Bacon.

Kate wore her signature nude court shoes to elongate her legs with the structured dress, left, and looked deep in conversation, right

Prince William exits his car in a dark-navy suit with a purple patterned tie after arriving at the floral celebration

Kate leans in to give a kiss on the cheek while greeting a guest at the event

Prince Harry wore a navy suit with black brogues to visit the show and see the blooms on display

Kate and William chatted to guests at the flower show with the Duchess wearing her hair in tousled waves

Prince William and the Duchess have previously not managed to attend the show due to 'diary issues' according to a royal spokesperson and looked delighted at the occasion

A right Royal rose garden: Prince Harry and the Duchess start their tour of the flower show and see vibrant fuchsia roses

Kate leans in to have a whiff of a flower while Prince Harry shows a keen interest in the blooms

Kate and William were all smiles as they walked through the flower show with William looking at the blooms behind the Duchess

Kate's bright coat dress is cinched in at the waist with a wide matching belt, left, and she wore the style zipped up to her neck, right

Kate's emerald-hued dress was contrasted by yellow daffodils as her and William were shown the impressive displays

Kate leans down to touch the carpet of poppies as William looks moved by the display

Kate previously wore the coat dress in 2014 on a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand, left, and looked stunning in a vibrant green coat dress and was in high spirits for her first visit to the flower show today, right

The Queen arrived at Chelsea Flower Show in a pale-blue coat and a floral dress in a matching pastel blue

The Queen will view the 21 foot floral arch marking her 90th birthday - containing 10,000 pastel blooms - and was presented with a floral poesy

The Queen wore a delicate floral brooch as well as her patterned dress to keep in with the theme of the day

The Queen looks delighted to be surrounded by beautiful flowers and holds up a bouquet of lilies

The Queen was clearly impressed by the 'Behind Every Great Florist' design, which pays tribute to the monarch's image

Her Majesty gamely poses in front of her own image, with her profile created from the inventive floral design

Her Majesty was pictured through the gap in the design which is filled with three lots of brightly-coloured hues

The Queen seemed fascinated by the craftsmanship and design of the display, which used the famous silhouette of Her Majesty used on postage stamps

The couple are set to tour the gardens and see displays including '5,000 poppies', an Australian community tribute of remembrance for those who have served their country in wars and conflicts.

While William, Kate and Harry aren’t the only young royals attending tonight – Princess Beatrice, in London again despite holding down a full-time job in New York, was present with her sister, Princess Eugenie.

Beatrice, 27, wore a full midi-skirt in steel grey with a structured leather-detailed top while Eugenie, 26, wore a white short-sleeved shift dress with embroidered detailing paired with chunky-heeled nude and metallic sandals.

They were accompanying their father, Prince Andrew, seen in public for the first time since the Daily Mail’s recent investigation into his alleged business dealings in Kazakhstan and the controversial sale of his former home to a Kazakh tycoon.

Also present was the Countess of Wessex, who matched the blooms in a bright floral-print dress by Alexander McQueen, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Anne and Princess Alexandra.

Princess Eugenie wore a short-sleeved white shift dress with delicate embroidery of blooms around the hem

Princess Beatrice arrived in a steel-grey full skirt with a structured leather detail top and maroon strap-detailed shoes

Princess Eugenie and Beatrice arrive for the celebrations with both choosing full-skirted outfits striking heels for the occasion

Prince Andrew, left, walked ahead of his daughter's and was deep in conversation

Princess Anne wore a camel cape and oatmeal midi skirt, wore with deep crimson lipstick

Sophie, Countess of Wessex wore a floral design Alexander McQueen dress in pink and scarlet shades

A new bloom for a new royal! The Princess Charlotte Chrysanthemum was shown to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today and is displayed at the Chelsea Flower Show

Finally the Royal party will attend a private reception at the newly named Queen Elizabeth II Pavilion.

Kate wore her striking Catherine Walker dress first back in 2014 during a royal tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Back in Australia's capital, the Duchess wore the vivid green tailored look when helping to plant an English oak tree at the National Arboretum.

She previously wore the British label for her arrival in Wellington, New Zealand.

Established in 1913, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has become one of the world’s greatest showcases for horticultural excellence, attracting visitors and exhibitors from across the globe.

Since its beginning, the show has gone from strength to strength: it has grown from 244 exhibitors in 1913 to over 500 today, including gardens, nurseries, floristry, educational displays and trade stands.

Today the show attracts 165,000 visitors.

The Queen’s landmark birthday is a key theme this year – including a three metre high, two and a half tonne tribute in the shape of the Queen's head featuring 10,000 colourful flowers.

The tiered tribute includes roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, arum lilies, hyacinths, freesias, gerberas, gladioli, clematis and sweet peas and marks the debut show of New Covent Garden Flower Market.

Its designer Ming Veevers Carter said: ‘I've been coming to New Covent Garden Flower Market for many years and know first-hand how integral the market and its traders are to London's florists.’

The tribute, which took a team of 35 people six months to create, has a prominent site at the show in the Great Pavilion just off Main Avenue.