Camilla the gardening guerrilla

The Duchess of Cornwall, right, became a guerrilla gardener yesterday, joining a movement that is transforming neglected public spaces into green oases.

Members of the monarchy do not usually get involved in clandestine activities, but armed with a pair of shears, Camilla embraced the cause and harvested lavender from a roundabout in the capital.

She travelled to the area in south London in a red Routemaster bus and visited other green sites to encourage people to grow their own produce.

Richard Reynolds, one of the leading members of the guerrilla gardening movement, took the duchess on a tour of Southwark, where he and other activists have planted vegetables and flowers around trees, on traffic islands and by the sides of roads.

Initially their work was without the consent of landowners, but much of their efforts are now accepted by the public bodies. The duchess cut the lavender on a roundabout near Waterloo station.