The florist who transformed Westminster Abbey into an enchanted forest for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding day has received a royal honor.
On Jan. 13, Shane Connolly was appointed to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Civil Division, for services to sustainable floristry. Connolly’s honor was presented during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle hosted by Princess Anne.
Connolly was the floral artistic director for the Prince and Princess of Wales’ April 2011 wedding day and brought in six field maples, two hornbeams and almost 30,000 flowers to decorate the abbey.
“The theme is that everything is from the estates, that everything is English, that everything is seasonal, and all along Catherine has asked that it’s just all neutral color-wise,” he told the BBC before the big day. “The aim is the abbey looks unpretentious and simple and natural and that it reflects the fact that Catherine is a country girl at heart and that the couple are the best of British.”
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William and Kate’s wedding was not Connolly’s first royal assignment, as he also designed the florals for the future King Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding blessing at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2005.
The King, 77, and Queen, 78, turned to Connolly again to curate the florals for their May 2023 coronation at Westminster Abbey, a job he described as the “commission of a lifetime” on his website. He held a Royal Warrant of Appointment to the late Queen Elizabeth and King Charles when he was the Prince of Wales, and was later honored with a Royal Warrant of Appointment to both King Charles and Queen Camilla in 2024.
Tuesday’s investiture ceremony was the first of the year, and Princess Anne, 75, helmed the event.
Investiture ceremonies celebrate individuals recognized for their outstanding contributions, personal bravery or services to the U.K. in honors lists released twice annually. The presentation of their insignia, or medals, happens at the investiture ceremonies held throughout the year at royal residences, and those events are held by King Charles, Princess Anne or Prince William.
The Princess Royal is known for her tireless dedication to royal duty and in July 2025, The Sunday Times published a profile on Anne claiming she wanted to see her nephew William take on more “bread-and-butter” royal engagements, like investitures, to his schedule.
“She’s still doing most of the investitures [at Windsor] even though William lives there. It annoys her,” a source told the outlet.
Princess Anne has a reputation as the family’s hardest-working royal. However, King Charles topped his sister in 2025, racking up the highest number of engagements for the year, by count of official outings recorded in The Court Circular.
