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The Princess Who Went Up A Tree And Came Down a Queen
As we reflect upon the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II following Monday’s magnificent state funeral, it is only fitting that across the nation and around the globe individuals, groups, businesses, and institutions are planting trees to commemorate a life dedicated to duty and public service.
Planting a tree is a classic royal duty. The Late Queen was an enthusiastic tree-planter from an early age. As an 11-year-old child, Princess Elizabeth planted a yew tree (Taxus baccata) in the grounds of her mother’s family home, Glamis Castle in Forfar in Angus, Scotland. The tree commemorated her father’s Coronation in 1937. Her sister, Princess Margaret Rose, also planted a yew, and these two trees are still flourishing today.
Trees featured strongly throughout the Queen’s life. Famously, it was while staying at Treetops Hotel in Kenya in 1952, a game-viewing lodge built in a 300-year-old fig tree, that Princess Elizabeth acceded to the throne upon the death of her father King George VI.
As the legendary hunter-naturalist Jim Corbett, who was invited to accompany the Royal party during their stay, wrote in the visitors’ book:
‘For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess, and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience she climbed down from the tree next day a Queen – God bless her.’
This was not the only tree the Queen sheltered in. Lord Tollemache, owner of Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, in an interview with the Times in 2018, told how the young Queen used to shelter inside a hollow oak tree at Helmingham Park and have a wee dram of whisky during the annual winter hunt.
Tree planting became an important part of Her Majesty’s many Royal duties and was an activity she was enthusiastic about. There is no definitive figure for the number of trees Queen Elizabeth planted in her lifetime, but Buckingham Palace says that she personally planted over 1,500 trees all over the world.
Quite by luck, I saw Her Majesty planting a maidenhair tree sapling (Gingko biloba) to mark Kew Garden’s 250th anniversary in 2009. Despite her elevated status as monarch, she planted the tree briskly and efficiently, expertly wielding the shiny new shovel.
The Queen discussed her lifelong passion for trees and nature in the documentary ‘The Queen’s Green Planet’ (2018) – an inspiring conversation between Her Majesty and Sir David Attenborough as they walked in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The Queen continued a family tradition, started by Queen Victoria, of planting family trees in the garden for the birth of her children – and Sir David took great pleasure in seeking out these trees. The Queen and Sir David also discussed ‘The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy’ (QCC), a network of forest conservation projects dedicated in her name, started in 2015 in Britain and throughout the countries of the Commonwealth.
https://www.itnproductions.co.uk/television/productions/popular-factual/the-queens-green-planet/
What was the Queen’s favourite tree? The Late Queen was a true tree-lover, but it is hard to find a definitive answer to that question. Her Majesty was particularly fond of the English oak (Quercus robur), but she was also said to love the London plane trees (Platanus x hispanica) at Buckingham Palace, planted by Queen Victoria. Of the more exotic specimens, The Queen was said to have counted the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) among her favourites.
The Queen was still planting trees in her nineties. Aged 93 Her Majesty visited the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NAIB), Cambridge, marking her visit by planting a hornbeam tree (Carpinus betulus). Having handed her signature handbag to a lady-in-waiting and firmly gripping the spade, when offered help with shovelling the soil Her Majesty feistily responded “No, no! I can still plant a tree!”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J15dWKuUKGs
The Queen asked the British people to participate in planting a tree in celebration of her 2022 Platinum Jubilee. And as Patron, Prince Charles announced the opening of the campaign by video – styling it the ‘Tree-bilee’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq75n1U99RI
This unique tree project, known as ‘The Queen’s Green Canopy’ (QGC) encouraged people across the United Kingdom to ‘Plant a Tree for The Jubilee’.
The Queen together with The Prince of Wales planted the first Jubilee tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle in the Spring of 2021. The tree chosen was a ‘Verdun Oak’. Verdun trees were originally raised from acorns and chestnuts collected from trees growing on the First World War battlefield at Verdun and brought back to England to be planted as war memorials.
The start of the official tree planting season in October 2021 was poignantly marked by The Queen and Prince Charles welcoming local schoolchildren to Balmoral for the planting of a copper beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea).
The project invited individuals and groups to help improve the environment by planting trees during the official planting season between October 2021 and March 2022. Tree planting is set to start again in October 2022, through to the end of March 2023. So, it is not too late to participate. The QGC also dedicated seventy ancient trees to Her Majesty. The QGC additionally dedicated a network of seventy ancient woodlands across the United Kingdom.
If you would like to get involved with the QGC and plant or gift a tree for Her Late Majesty, then follow the link for more information: https://queensgreencanopy.org/
Trees are silent witnesses to history. Trees like Royalty offer continuity in an ever-changing world. It is comforting to think of all the trees that Her Majesty planted during her Royal Duties that will long remain as a living reminder of our Queen Elizabeth II to future generations.
