MOST would expect that the keys to Buckingham Palace are plated with gold, however for a group of gardeners in Denbigh they come in the form of a muddy spade and cutters.

Denbigh in Bloom, the volunteer community group that was awarded best town in the RHS Wales in Bloom last year, has received an invitation to a garden party hosted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Over the course of each year, the Queen welcomes more than 30,000 guests who have had a positive impact in their community to the 42-acre gardens at the palace, which are said to have a mulberry tree dated to the reign of James I.

The Denbigh group has planted flowers and redecorated amenities across the Vale of Clwyd town high street and roundabouts over the last two years, working with primary school pupils and care home residents.

It will take part in the prestigious RHS Britain in Bloom for the first time this summer which can boost tourism to winning towns by putting them on the horticultural map.

A long-established network is used to recommend invitees to the palace garden parties, with four volunteers from the Denbigh group receiving an invite via Harry Fetherstonhaugh, the Lord-Lieutenant of Clwyd.

As many as 3,000 guests will be free to eat, drink and stroll around the palace gardens as the band music plays a selection of music. The Queen and Prince Philip will circulate through ‘lanes’ with presentations made at random to provide an equal chance of meeting.

Chair Lyndsey Tasker said the invite is a “once in a lifetime chance” to see the gardens, adding that she and vice-chair Helena Cawthray, Kate Radcliffe and Barbara Crawford have already started shopping for hats and shoes.

“This is a huge honour for not only those of us who are attending, but to everyone involved in Denbigh in Bloom,” she said. “To be recognised in such a way is truly incredible and we are still a little overwhelmed.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to highlight our beautiful town of Denbigh and the wonderful community within it.”

“The Royal Gardens is a must see for us. Obviously, we would love to see the Queen and the Royal Family too, although we do understand there can be upward of 3,000 guests attending the garden party!”

Senior royals may be in attendance with celebrities also rumoured to have been invited, though Mrs Tasker admitted she may be too in awe of the gardens to notice.

“We expect the Royal Gardens to be immaculately kept by a team of grounds people, although we probably will not get to see it all as it sits in 42 acres,” she said. “It would be lovely to see something which we think could work well back home in Denbigh and adapt the idea.”