Princess Kate plants a cherry tree near Westminister Abbey. It is intended to commemorate her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II. It is one of many trees that have already been planted in the UK as part of a campaign launched by the Queen herself.
Princess Kate's traditional Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey this year is entirely dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September. As has only just become known, Kate also honored the monarch with a special gesture last week. She planted a cherry tree next to Westminster Abbey, on which a plaque commemorates the late Queen.
The tree planting on the site of the church, which was built from 1245, forms part of the Queen's Green Canopy (English: "The Green Canopy of the Queen"), a tree planting campaign launched by Queen Elizabeth II herself in May 2021 to celebrate her 70th jubilee. Over a million new trees have since been planted in the UK. In the spring of 2021, the Queen and today's King Charles III. made the start, as a touching video on Instagram showed.
The plaque in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, next to the tree now planted by Princess Kate, reads: "This cherry tree, a gift from the Duchess of Cornwall, is dedicated to the memory of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales on December 14, 2022."
The historic Westminster Abbey in London is a special place for both Princess Kate and Queen Elizabeth II. Kate's lavish wedding to the English heir to the throne Prince William took place here in 2011, and the late monarch and Prince Philip also gave married here in 1947. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 also took place there.
