Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited the Australian National Arboretum on Wednesday 11 Nov. The visit included a short tour of the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection. Prince Charles was genuinely interested in the collection expressing that he may well start some bonsai on his return to the UK.

The press love stories like this and whether you are a fan or not of the Royal Family there is no denying that this visit will enhance the status of Bonsai in Australia because of the coverage the visit received. So my next challenge is to get them to visit one of our events.

My friend Leigh Taafe in Canberra gave me the permission to use these photo’s. Leigh is the Curator of National Bonsai & Penjing Collection of Australia. In the photos along with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are Leigh, the guy in the suit is the ACT Chief Minister (politician) and Shannon Young (Leigh’s Assistant Curator) take a look at the collection HERE: and Canberra Bonsai Society HERE