Queen opens £7.7m RHS glasshouse

The RHS President said he thought the Queen "really enjoyed herself"

The Queen has officially opened a new £7.7m glasshouse in Surrey.

The structure, at the 60-acre Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) garden at Wisley, was built to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the RHS in 2004.

It houses 5,000 plants, covers an area the size of 10 tennis courts, and has taken more than two years to build.

The Queen, who is patron of the RHS, and the Duke of Edinburgh toured the structure before unveiling a commemorative plaque.

RHS president, Peter Buckley, said: "It was a tremendous honour to have the Queen here. It's wonderful for all the people who have made a huge contribution towards making the glasshouse.

"I think the Queen just loved it. She loves plants and I think she was really interested to see the glasshouse, particularly when she got up on to the platform and was looking down."

The Queen also visited a learning centre and teaching garden, and planted a Coruns kousa, "Wisley Queen", tree to mark the royal visit.

The glasshouse, which was built as a result of the RHS's biggest fund-raising appeal, welcomed its first visitors earlier this month.