King Charles has delivered his “heartfelt thanks” to members of the public following the success of the late Queen’s Green Canopy project.
Making some rare comments about his mother since her passing, the monarch reflected: “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.”
Charles continued: “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.”
The endeavour was first launched in May 2021 to mark the late Queen’s then-upcoming Platinum Jubilee, and in the video below you can see Charles and the late Queen plant their first tree. The project was extended following her death last year on 8 September.
The initiative aimed to increase and protect native tree cover and was seen as a “special gift” to mark the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, with the project even being dubbed the Treebilee.
The end of this year’s planting season saw Charles and his son, Prince William, planting an acer in the ground of Sandringham, while Sir David Attenborough also planted a tree in Richmond Park.
The project has so far seen over three million trees planted while launching 30 urban planting projects and seeing 70 young people trained in jobs around the green sector.
Although the Platinum Jubilee has passed, it has been confirmed that the project will see another extension as trees will be planted in the 98 lieutenancies across the United Kingdom to mark the coronation of King Charles.
Charles returned to the United Kingdom earlier in the week following his first state visit as monarch which saw him visit the German capital, Berlin.
During a State Banquet, the 74-year-old spoke in German, much to the delight of guests. He elicited laughter from the room when he referenced a British comedy sketch hugely popular in Germany called Dinner for One.
The show is about an elderly aristocrat who dines alone while her waiter gets progressively drunker as he consumes alcohol poured for her missing dinner guests.
The mention of the sketch, which has been watched by millions of Germans every New Year’s Eve since 1973, raised a laugh in the room as His Majesty told them in German: “It is nice of you all not to have left me alone with a ‘dinner for one!'”
