King Charles has begun his annual summer stay at the Castle of Mey in Caithness, marking the occasion by planting a rose named in his own honour in the castle's Diamond Jubilee Rose Garden. The King's Rose, a cultivar developed by David Austin Roses in partnership with The King's Foundation, was placed in the gardens on 6 August 2026 as the monarch settled into the first week of his traditional August visit to the far north of Scotland (Royal Central).

The Castle of Mey sits on the Caithness coast near John O'Groats, purchased by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1952 and cherished as one of her favourite Scottish residences. She spent three weeks there every August, a custom Charles has continued since succeeding to the throne. His early-August visit also coincides with the birthday of his late grandmother, who was born on 4 August 1900 (Royal Central).

The estate is managed by The King's Foundation, the charitable body that cares for several gardens and heritage sites associated with the monarch. The King's Rose has already been planted at two other foundation properties: Dumfries House in East Ayrshire and Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire. The cultivar's arrival at Mey ties the castle's grounds into a horticultural thread running across all three sites (Royal Central).

This year's Scottish season opened earlier in the week, when Charles attended the Mey Highland Games at John O'Groats in his capacity as Chieftain (Town & Country). The games are a fixture of the local summer calendar, and the King's attendance as Chieftain continues a role held within the royal family for years.

Roses have been a recurring theme for the King this year. On 18 May 2026, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London, Charles paused to smell a Sir David Beckham Rose, a moment captured alongside Queen Camilla (People). The King's Rose itself is a separate cultivar, bred in his name rather than merely admired by him.

The Castle and Gardens of Mey will reopen to visitors on 12 August following the King's stay, the estate has confirmed. The castle had been closed to the public since late July, with an Instagram announcement on 24 July giving the closure dates (Royal Central; People).

What gives the rose-planting its quiet weight is the way it sits in the record of the estate itself. In August 2005, when he was Duke of Rothesay, Charles and Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Rothesay, planted two sycamore trees at the front of the castle. The King's Rose now joins those trees as part of a small, dated inventory of royal plantings at Mey, each tied to a specific visit and recorded against the calendar (Royal Central).

For the visitors who pass through the gates next week, the Diamond Jubilee Rose Garden will carry one more specimen, one more name, and one more date.