Monday 21 May It's press day at the show and the tension is rising as the judging begins

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The Royal visit Chelsea glitterati

Music and flowers everywhere It's judgement day

At about 3.30pm on the first day of Chelsea, the showground is cleared for the annual visit of Her Majesty the Queen, along with members of the Royal Family.

This year she was accompanied by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and her son the Earl of Wessex. Also in the royal party are the Duke and Duchess of Kent.

The Queen was shown around the show by RHS executives and some of the most well-respected names in horticulture, such as renowned gardener and plantswoman Beth Chatto. She also talked to Alan Titchmarsh in the Marshall's Sustainability garden where she admired the unusual planting.

The opening day at Chelsea is one of the most glamorous events in the society calendar, as well-known personalities and VIPs are invited for a sneak preview of the best Chelsea has to offer.

A short walk along Main Avenue this afternoon would have taken you past actors, TV personalities and even the King and Queen of Sweden, who were here for Sweden's Chelsea debut with Ulf Nordfjell's garden, A Tribute to Linnaeus.

Also present were TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson, presenters Jenni Bond and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, and Labour peer and fertility specialist Professor Lord Robert Winston.

The Great Pavilion was no less star-studded. Actor Joanna Lumley could be seen launching a fuchsia named after her as June Whitfield, a fellow star of cult sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, looked on.

"It's a delight to wander around and look at things," she said. "I'm no great gardener, but I love the flower tent and the roses - all the pretty things."

Elsewhere in the pavilion, reggae singer Eddy Grant and chat-show host Michael Parkinson took a look around before taking part in publicity events, while news presenter Bill Turnbull revealed an unsuspected passion for beekeeping.