THE Duchess of Cornwall will be the royal guest at the South of England Show.

Her Royal Highness will be the 25th royal to visit the annual agricultural show at Ardingly when she arrives tomorrow.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the show, which is run by the South of England Agricultural Society charity and held at the South of England Showground.

Charlie Burgoyne, chairman of the society, said: “We are honoured to welcome our president, the Duchess of Cornwall, to our 50th South of England Show, which will showcase the best of British agriculture, horticulture, forestry and equestrianism as well as delicious food and drink.

“It’s an extremely special year for the society and we hope that Her Royal Highness will enjoy some of the spectacular displays that will be featured across the showground.

“During her visit she will meet some of the farmers and their livestock and talk to schoolchildren as well as unveil an exciting permanent record of the society’s achievements of the past 50 years.”

It will be a solo visit for the Duchess, who will not be accompanied by husband Prince Charles.

Camilla grew up in Plumpton where she learnt how to ride ponies at clubs in the village.

This will be her first official visit to the show.

She has been supportive of farmers and has encouraged children to learn more about healthy eating.

Her chosen charity for this year’s event is Brooke, an international charity which supports animal welfare.

The Queen has been a patron to the charity since her first visit to the show in 1974.

The society wants to show its support for the next generation of agriculture lovers, with hundreds of students from Sussex schools and colleges set to be involved in competitions and exhibits, including the Young Craftsman of the Year.

There will be equestrian displays featuring 1,500 horses and ponies, along with food halls filled with ingredients sourced from the South East region.

Gates will open from 9am to 6.30pm, with free entry for under-16s accompanied by an adult. In the past decade the show has attracted more than 3.5 million visitors.