A founder of the internationally renowned Hampton Court Flower Show has died aged 65.

Adrian Boyd had the idea for the horticultural event as he walked past the historic landmark to his work as a management consultant.

He brought together Historic Royal Palaces and sponsor Network Southeast rail services to launch the first show in July 1990, which successfully drew in large crowds. He used his expertise in advertising and marketing to help run the event for three years, with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) taking over in 1993.

Mr Boyd’s brother Nigel, 63, said he died at his home in Thames Ditton on Thursday, March 1, after a period of bad health.

He said: “He used to live opposite the sailing club in Molesey and he would walk from home to his offices, over Hampton Court’s bridge and past the palace every day.

“Then a little gem of an idea struck him on one occasion that it could have a flower show. His training in advertising obviously held him in good stead, he had been involved in making TV adverts so he knew a lot of people in the publicity world, filmmakers and all the rest of it and it basically grew from there.”

Stephen Bennett, shows director for RHS, said he remembered Mr Boyd as a “classic larger-than-life advertising executive” who wore a big double-breasted suit and drove a gold Rolls Royce.

He said: “I have to take my hat off to him. He had the initiative and was successful in pulling it off. He was an amazing guy, very successful and very entrepreneurial.”

He said RHS had approached Hampton Court Palace before 1990 to ask if it could use it for a show, but it turned the society away.

Historic Royal Palaces later took over running the venue from the Government and Mr Boyd jumped on the opportunity to help the charity increase its revenue. He was working on advertising campaigns for Network Southeast, which wanted to use the event to increase the numbers of passengers between Waterloo and Hampton Court.

Mr Bennett said: “Adrian lived near Hampton Court, he was literally on its doorstep, and when Historic Royal Palaces was set up he was in there like a shot and successfully persuaded them to let him run this flower show.”

Mr Boyd’s funeral will be held at Kingston Crematorium at 12.20pm on Monday, March 26.