Before Kate Middleton pulled off her annual Christmas carol service, she was part of a tree-planting ceremony that honored Queen Elizabeth II. The tribute also fulfills a wish the late queen had to see more trees planted across the United Kingdom. However, it wasn’t the only nod to her during the event.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen’s Green Canopy planted more than a million new trees in her honor
Queen Elizabeth was behind an initiative to plant new trees across the United Kingdom. She also encouraged others to do the same as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy.
Impressively, participants planted more than a million new trees between October 2021 and March 2022. That wave celebrated the queen’s Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service.
However, King Charles III, now patron of the Queen’s Green Canopy, requested the effort be extended through March 2023. He has encouraged planting more trees in memory of the queen following her death in September 2022.
Kate Middleton paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by planting a tree ahead of her 2022 holiday service
The new Princess of Wales paid tribute to the late queen with a tree planted in Dean’s Yard at Westminster Abbey before her Christmas carol service.
“This wild cherry tree, a gift from the Duchy of Cornwall, was dedicated in memory of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales on 14th December 2022,” a plaque reads (Instagram).
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Notably, the location is meaningful for both women because they married at the Abbey. Furthermore, the historic church hosted the queen’s state funeral service.
Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘strongly held values’ guided Kate Middleton in organizing her Christmas carol service
There were a variety of tributes to Queen Elizabeth in Kate’s first Christmas concert since her death, even aside from the tree-planting. First, a video honored the late monarch’s tradition of giving an annual Christmas speech, and Prince William read from her 2012 broadcast.
“It is my prayer this Christmas Day that his example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others,” he read (People).
“The carol, ‘In the Bleak Midwinter,’ ends by asking a question of all of us who know the Christmas story, of how God gave himself to us in humble service,” he went on. “‘What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a wise man, I would do my part.’”
“The carol gives the answer, ‘Yet what I can I give him — give my heart,’” he concluded.
The program for the event shared a message with guests, noting, “This carol service is dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and to all those who are sadly no longer with us. Her Late Majesty’s strongly held values of duty, compassion, and faith have guided the creation of this service.”
Notably, ITV will broadcast the service on Christmas Eve, and Catherine Zeta-Jones will narrate it.
