Queen Elizabeth started her Diamond Jubilee celebrations on a chilly February 3 with the first official act of the festival: a tree-planting. Given the hundreds of trees planted by Royals over the years, including one that Prince Philip planted for the coronation, the action was both symbolic and apt.
The tree-planting at Sandringham House was part of a new 20-acre woodland, one of 60 to be created this year in the “Jubilee Woods” project by the Woodland Trust. Princess Anne, Patron of the Jubilee Woods appeal, stood in for Prince Philip, who is taking time off due to heart issues; the Queen was dressed for the occasion in outdoors clothes, including her signature headscarf. (Story continues below.)
The Queen and Princess Anne have planted an oak which will be a focal point of the new 20-acre Jubilee Wood on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. According to the Woodland Trust, six million native trees will be planted over 15 months to create a lasting legacy.
Over the next 15 months, six million native British trees are due to be planted across the UK to mark the Diamond Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne then watched as children from nearby schools continued to plant 500 trees. Supermarket chain Sainsbury's is donating a few pennies from different products, such as eggs, to raise money for the cause, and is also sponsoring a festival in London this June.
Meanwhile, the Woodland Trust is still looking for people to set aside land for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee woods, including both its 20-acre and 60-acre projects.
Previous article:
Next article:
Sources: The Telegraph; Woodland Trust
Get British Royal Family news by subscribing to this column or using the RSS feed. Linda Gentile is the British Royal Family Examiner and you can also follow on Twitter and Facebook. And, for yet more British life and culture, check out Linda's British Life column.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { }
Comments