Camilla Parker Bowles reveals she begged her mother for 'help' after moving into first home with husband Andrew

Camilla Parker Bowles has shared the reason she begged her mother for help when she moved into her first house - and it wasn't to assist with the unpacking. 

• Camilla Parker Bowles has revealed why she begged her mother to help her after moving into her first house. 
• The Duchess of Cornwall asked for her mother's expertise when she became overwhelmed by the move to Bolehyde Manor in 1973 with her then-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles.
• In other royal news, Prince Charles' cheeky reaction to Boris Johnson's latest public blunder divides royal fans.
  
  

The Duchess of Cornwall has recounted a nostalgic family memory in a recent interview, revealing how her late mother, Rosalind, helped her to overcome her gardening anxiety with some down-to-earth guidance. 

Camilla was deeply stressed about the outdoor maintenance of her previous home at Bolehyde Manor in Wiltshire, where she lived with her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, for 13 years. 

Speaking on her Instagram account, The Reading Room, she said, "I remember the first house I had, looking at this garden and actually then saying to my mother, 'Help!' You know, where do I go from there?" 

Rosalind Shand, who passed away in 1994, was all too happy to come to her overwhelmed daughter's rescue. The British aristocrat and military wife was a dab hand at horticulture, having spent most of her leisure time perfecting the gardens of Camilla's luxurious childhood home, The Laines. 

"She taught me how to prune, she taught me how to plant, she taught me how to weed," Camilla recalled. "I mean, you go around thinking weeding is easy, just pull out the weed, but there's a great art to it." 

After learning the "basics" from Rosalind, Camilla started to tap into her creativity and experiment with different designs. 

"You see vistas and you see colors, and it's almost like painting by numbers," she explained. The Duchess went on to describe the experience as like "looking at a painting or something," adding, "You look at it with half-closed eyes, and you somehow get the colors." 

The hobby has since become a passion project for Camilla, who visits her gardens at either Clarence House or Highgrove House on an almost daily basis to check on her plants' progress. 

"It's just the excitement of watching," she said. "Every day I go, well, when I can, of seeing how something's grown, how it's evolved. You never cease to be excited by what's there."

"I think it's the most therapeutic thing next to reading you could do," she added. 

This isn't the first time Camilla has shared her love of nature with the public. Earlier this month, the Duchess treated fans to a glimpse of her stunning garden at Highgrove House in promotion of Season Three of her virtual book club, The Reading Room. In the tranquil clip, Camilla guides viewers through the lush Gloucestershire grounds, offering a sneak peek at its beautiful flora and weaving paths.