King Charles and Prince William plant final tree for Queen's Green …

King Charles and the Prince of Wales have paid tribute to the late Queen to wrap up one of Her Majesty's final projects. The monarch and his son planted an acer tree in the gardens of Sandringham House, in Norfolk, to mark the end of the Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) initiative. The project was launched in May 2021 to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and was extended after her death in September last year to allow people to plant trees in memoriam.

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Since its creation, more than three million trees have been planted across the UK. The King 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."

The royal family shared two photos - one taken at the weekend of the King and Prince William as they planted the acer in Norfolk, and another of Queen Elizabeth and then Prince Charles at Windsor. The late Queen's close friend, and QGC ambassador Sir David Attenborough, planted a tree in Richmond Park in London to mark the closure of the second planting season. He said: "The Queen's Green Canopy has created an invaluable national legacy for our children, future generations and the planet itself."

READ MORE: Why Germany means so much to the King after the Queen's death The project also helped to deliver more than30 urban planting projects in areas of social and environmental need and the training of more than 70 young people in the green sector. A similar tree-planting scheme was launched across the Commonwealth in 2015 when an appeal was made to all 53 Commonwealth nations to contribute areas of indigenous forest to be preserved in perpetuity to mark Her Majesty's lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.

The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy project brought Prince Harry to Fraser Island (K'gari) during he and Meghan's 2018 tour.

The Duke of Sussex unveiled the plaque on the island and spoke about the importance of his grandmother's project. "At a time when so many natural World Heritage sites are under threat, it is more important than ever to protect this island for all the reasons that we have mentioned," Prince Harry said. "The programme is committed to raising awareness of the value of indigenous forests and to saving them for future generations.

Put simply, without trees and forests, we don't survive. It is a symbiotic relationship, and one that so many people still fail to realise. "Across Australia, twenty million trees are now being planted for the QCC, providing habitat to support threatened species, and capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere."

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