Women's Institute's centenary bloom comes a cropper at Royal Albert Hall

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It was an event two years in the making – and as part of their centenary celebrations the Women's Institute commissioned a new rose especially for the occasion.

The bloom was to be the centrepiece of floral arrangements for a landmark gathering at the Royal Albert Hall.

But at last week's event – attended by the Queen, Princess Anne and Sophie Wessex – the rose, named Inspiration, was virtually nowhere to be seen.

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Disappointing: The Women's Institute was forced to replace roses as its centrepiece of floral arrangements for their centenary celebrations (attended by The Queen, Princess Anne and Sophie Wessex, above) because sufficient numbers had failed to bloom due to poor weather

Disappointing: The Women's Institute was forced to replace roses as its centrepiece of floral arrangements for their centenary celebrations (attended by The Queen, Princess Anne and Sophie Wessex, above) because sufficient numbers had failed to bloom due to poor weather

Sufficient numbers failed to bloom in time thanks to poor weather, and replacement flowers had to be brought in at the last minute.

The organisation had commissioned the blooms from one of the country's leading rose growers.

One trustee of the famously efficient WI grumbled: 'If we'd organised it in-house, this wouldn't have happened.'

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Only a few of the Inspiration blooms were eventually used at the event – attended by 5,000 members – in posies for the Royal party.

The anniversary rose, commissioned by the WI in 2013, is a hybrid tea. Its colour is a light salmon orange with a contrasting pale yellow on the reverse of the petals.

Only a few of the Inspiration blooms were eventually used at the event – attended by 5,000 members – in posies for the Royal party

Only a few of the Inspiration blooms were eventually used at the event – attended by 5,000 members – in posies for the Royal party

Growers C & K Jones, which have been in the business for 35 years, were given the job of producing them at their base near Chester.

Owner Keith Jones said only a dozen blooms were ready in time as cultivation was held back by strong winds and a lack of light.

'All I can offer is my humble apologies because we could not have picked a worse season,' he said.

'Roses like sunshine but it's been mostly cold at night and cloudy. The worst thing has been the cold wind.'

He said his message to the Queen would be: 'Sorry, Your Majesty. I can influence some things but not nature, unfortunately.'

A spokesman for the National Federation of Women's Institutes insisted: 'The floral arrangements on stage were as beautiful as they usually are.' 

Last night, the WI website was still offering Inspiration roses at £13.99 each.

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