The Duke of Gloucester visited an orchard, which has been created with the support of the local community in Rutland earlier this month, and is dedicated to the memory of the late Prince Philip.
Called The Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Orchard, it was planted following the death of The Queen’s late husband in April, who passed away at the age of 99 at Winsdor Castle. It has been funded by public donations.
The Duke of Gloucester planted a tree in the orchard to commemorate the life of Prince Philip. (Royal Family/Twitter)
During the visit, Prince Richard met students from Oakham School and Catmose College students, who are involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
The Duke of Gloucester unveiled a plaque to mark the visit to recognise the orchard’s contribution to The Queen’s Green Canopy. The visit came to an end with the unveiling of a carving of The Duke of Edinburgh. It was crafted by South Luffenham sculptor, Christopher Groombridge.
A carving of The Duke of Edinburgh has also been included in the orchard. (Royal Family/Twitter)
Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland Dr Sarah Furness said: “It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester back to Rutland today.
“It was particularly poignant to see him plant the final tree in Rutland’s Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Orchard.”
Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland Dr Sarah Furness said it was ‘particularly poignant’ to see The Duke plant a tree in Prince Philip’s Orchard. (Royal Family/Twitter).
She continued: “The Orchard has been made possible thanks to the kindness and generosity of local people, all of whom wanted to pay tribute to the life of Prince Philip and see his legacy of environmental stewardship celebrated within our county.”
The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative aims to help mark the Platinum Jubilee next year, by planting a number of trees in Her Majesty’s name. Queen Elizabeth II will become the first British Monarch to achieve the 70-year milestone since taking the throne in 1952.
The initiative is calling on people across the nation, and plant their own trees, using the slogan: ‘Plant a tree for the jubilee.’ It encourages people to plants their trees between October and March, to give them the best chance of survival.
The Queen and her son, Prince Charles, marked the start of The Queen’s Green Canopy by planting a tree at Balmoral earlier this year.
The Queen and Prince Charles planted the tree at Balmoral for the The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.
2022 will be a year of celebrations to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a four-day Bank Holiday weekend from 2nd to 5th June. Celebration across the special weekend will include Trooping the Colour, the lighting of beacons, a Service of Thanksgiving, Platinum Pageant and a concert making The Queen’s historic reign.
