In May 2021, to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Elizabeth II launched an initiative to plant more trees, which she named the Queen's Green Canopy. Throughout her long life, tree planting was an important part of her many royal duties, and it was an activity she felt particularly enthusiastic about.
Sadly, she was unable to see the incredible impact of the project due to her passing in 2022. So far, it has overseen the planting of more than three million trees, it's helped to deliver over 30 urban planting projects in areas of social and environmental need, and has helped train over 70 young people in the green sector - achievements the Queen would have taken great pride in.
To pay tribute to his late mother, King Charles, along with his son Prince William, planted one of the final trees of the project, an Acer, in the gardens of Sandringham House.
The King offered "heartfelt thanks" to those who had been involved in the project since 2021, and he emotionally reflected on the passing of his mother, and the trees that had been planted in memory of her since September 2022.
Charles said: "It is hard to believe that two years have passed since my mother and I planted a tree in Windsor Great Park to mark the commencement of the Queen's Green Canopy.
"As the second planting season draws to a close, and with it this vitally important initiative, I particularly wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone from across the United Kingdom who has helped to plant over three million trees to create an enduring legacy in Queen Elizabeth's name.
"This project has shown how simple, practical, and positive gestures can make a big difference, and I can think of no more fitting tribute to Her late Majesty's 70-year reign."
Sir David Attenborough, a Queen's Green Canopy ambassador, planted a tree in Richmond Park to mark the closure of the second planting season, stating that the project had created "an invaluable national legacy for our children, future generations, and the planet itself."
A film was also released, detailing the story of the initiative through the people involved, narrated by project ambassador Dame Judi Dench - a unique mosaic artwork has been created in the form of a green canopy depicting the late Queen's cypher, EIIR.
And the jubilee project may have come to an end, but the Queen's Green Canopy initiative has announced it will fund the planting of a specimen tree in each of the 98 lieutenancies across the UK later this year, to mark the coronation of King Charles III.
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