King Charles has been gifted the first seedling grown from seed collected from the Sycamore Gap tree, Buckingham Palace has revealed.
The 75-year-old monarch became patron of The National Trust in 2003 and was its president until he ascended the throne in 2022.
Taking to X, the official account for the Royal Family shared: “Today is #CelebrationDay: an annual day to remember the lives of those who are no longer here and who have shaped us. To mark the day, the @nationaltrust has presented The King – their Patron – with the first seedling grown from seed collected from the Sycamore Gap tree.
“The tree was a popular landmark which grew in a natural dip in the countryside along Hadrian’s Wall before it was chopped down in September 2023.”
The post continued: “When the seedling has grown, His Majesty hopes to scale it in Windsor Great Park, where in time the wind will help ensure that its seeds, in their turn, are still more widely distributed.
“Part of the power of trees to move and console us lies in the continuity and hope they represent: the sense that, rooted in the past and flourishing in the present, their seeds will be carried into an as yet unimaginable future.”
With his commitment to the charity continuing into his reign, the King joined to encourage members of the public to donate and plant a tree in memory of a loved one or as a gift – a decision that would create new habitats for wildlife.
The public got their first first glimpse at the seedling at the Chelsea Flower Show on May 20.
At the annual event, Dame Judi Dench placed it on the Octavia Hill garden – which is named after the charity’s founder.
Andy Jasper – the Director of the gardens and parklands at the National Trust – said: “It was quite overwhelming and incredibly humbling to see the public’s reaction to the very first seedling to successfully germinate and grow at our special plant conservation centre, on display at the Chelsea Flower Show last week.
“Personally, it gave me so much joy to tell its story to the thousands of visitors to the stand – and to witness and to feel the outpouring of emotions first-hand of what this tiny sapling means to so many across the country.”
Following his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, King Charles made an appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show last week – alongside his wife Queen Camilla.
During his appearance, the King was labelled the ‘King of the Compost’ by schoolchildren in a badge in honour for his well-known environmental work.