Rolls-Royce prepares to celebrate World Bee Day

Rolls-Royce is marking World Bee Day this 20 May with a host of activities surrounding its beekeeping operations both at Goodwood and elsewhere around the world.

The original Goodwood Apiary was established in 2017 in response to the drastic decline in the population of honeybees, which are crucial pollinators for a host of food crops, as well as wild plants. The Apiary is home to a colony of around 250,000 honeybees. Every year, the honey produced is carefully processed, jarred, and labelled by a team of dedicated volunteer beekeepers. The honey is made available only to visiting clients and VIPs.

Ahead of this year's World Bee Day, Rolls-Royce welcomed 11-year-old Poppy Liddle, honorary Junior Beekeeper, back to the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood. Poppy, who lives in nearby Selsey, West Sussex, first came to the marque’s attention in 2021 when a story appeared in the pages of the local newspaper concerning the theft of her own beloved beehive. Moved by her plight, Rolls-Royce arranged for Poppy, then aged eight, to visit the Goodwood bees; the occasion culminated in her appointment to the unique and prestigious office of Junior Beekeeper.

When the six beehives were first installed in 2017, they were named after Phantom, Ghost, Dawn, Wraith, and Cullinan, the Rolls-Royce motor cars meticulously crafted at Goodwood at that time, with the sixth one named Spirit of Ecstasy. Today Dawn and Wraith have ceased production; whilst the marque has added Spectre to its product portfolio.

Rolls-Royce has therefore used the occasion of the marque's 120^th anniversary this year to rename the hives after six principal characters from its founding story. The hives will henceforth bear illustrious names including Charles Rolls, Henry Royce and Eleanor Thornton, engraved on the same stainless-steel treadplates which are fitted to the marque's pinnacle product, Phantom.