Royal Horticultural Society?

Question

Does anyone know or can hazard a guess for the reason Prince Albert granted "Royal" status to the Horticultural Society in 1861?

A question from trhe Rainsmart team

Answer 1

Was it in recognition of his fellow vegetables? Or am I thinking of King Edward?

Answer 2

To revive its lagging fortunes.........see articles from both websites below.

Answer 3

Prince Albert once served as the President of the Horticultural Society, and in the 1850s saw a period of financial crisis for the Society, due to the lack of income from membership and falling proceeds from its garden. This unfortunately led to the sale of its library which contained many rare books and original drawings.

Prince Albert revived its fortunes by arranging a new charter in 1861, resulting in the current name, The Royal Horticultural Society. A new garden in Kensington was also secured, which remained its headquarters until 1888. Royal support helped increase membership and soon the Society became a viable entity again.

The Society was able to rebuild its library by purchasing the collection of John Lindley in 1866. The Lindley Library is now the world's foremost horticultural collection, containing over 50,000 books, 1,500 periodicals and 18,000 botanical drawings. It is open to the public as a reference library, although only RHS Members can borrow books.