King Charles has been presented with the first seedling to be grown from the Sycamore Gap tree by the National Trust to mark Celebration Day.
The annual celebration, which is described as a day to remember the lives of those who have shaped us yet are no longer here, was marked with the gift to the monarch in his role as patron of the National Trust.
The Sycamore Gap tree was possibly the UK’s most recognisable trunk until it was suddenly cut down overnight in September 2023.
Although brutalised, the stump of the tree remains living and tree experts hope it will one day regrow to its former glory.
The King, who has been patron of the National Trust since 2003, and was its president until he ascended the throne in 2022, joined the charity in encouraging members of the public to donate and plant a tree in memory of a loved one or as a gift, creating new habitats for wildlife.
It comes after actress Dame Judi Dench was given another of the tree’s seedlings at the Chelsea Flower Show by schoolgirl Charlotte Crowe of Henshaw CE Primary School in Northumberland.
Dame Judi shed a tear after being gifted the plant, and said: ‘I’ll be naming him Antoninus, the adopted son of the Emperor Hadrian.’
The centuries-old landmark, situated next to Hadrian’s Wall, was chopped down by vandals on September 28 last year
The King looked delighted to be back in action last week as he visited a garden designed by children at Chelsea Flower Show today
As well as appearing in countless photographs, it had also been seen in films including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
After being chopped down, the remnants of the tree were eventually cleared away and seeds collected, from which these new plants have been grown.
In a statement on its social media, the royal family said: ‘Today is Celebration Day: an annual day to remember the lives of those who are no longer here and who have shaped us. To mark the day, the National Trust 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.
‘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.’
Back in the 1980s, the now world-famous sycamore was hardly given a second glance by walkers.
The King has received the first seedling to have grown from the 150-year-old tree
As patron of the National Trust, the King was gifted the first seedling from the tree
The National Trust have left a framed sign beside the fenced off stump which reads: ‘This tree stump is still alive. If we leave it alone it might sprout new growth, please respect the barrier’
The Sycamore Gap tree was cut down in the middle of the night and fell on the other side of the ancient Roman wall
But then it featured in the 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner, and voted English Tree Of The Year in 2016.
Social media turbocharged its popularity and soon it was a favourite spot for marriage proposals, scattering ashes and, of course, photographs.
One early theory was that the tree was felled as a social media prank.
While there is no CCTV anywhere near the spot, it is understood that police know the feller’s route to the tree – the trail from Steel Rigg car park which follows Hadrian’s Wall on a rocky rollercoaster over hills and open moorland.
Mobile phone triangulation could, it is thought, feature in any prosecution but it is unclear to what extent, if any, DNA from the tree will play a part.
Samples would yield genetic material that could then be matched with sawdust found on the clothing or machinery of any potential suspects.
But the time lapsed since the crime would appear to indicate a paucity of forensic clues.
Two men have since been accused of chopping down the landmark, which was valued at £622,000.
Daniel Graham, 38, pleaded not guilty to causing criminal damage to the tree and Hadrian’s Wall in September last year.
Through a technique called clonal propagation, it could be possible to save the Sycamore Gap Tree, allowing it to live on far into the future
His co-defendant Adam Carruthers, 31, entered no pleas to the same charges when they both appeared before a district judge at Newcastle Magistrates Court.
Three years ago, tree DNA was used as evidence in the US to convict the leader of a gang of illegal loggers who cut down prized maple trees in a Washington forest.
Few in this part of Northumberland believed the mystery of Sycamore Gap would be solved quite so easily.
But in a sign of optimism, fresh shoots have emerged from the tree’s rescued seeds and from twigs taken to a ‘high-security greenhouse’ in Devon the day after it was destroyed.
Back at Sycamore Gap there is similar hope. ‘This tree stump is still alive,’ warns a sign. ‘If we leave it alone, it might sprout new growth.’
Earlier this month a district judge said the case of two men accused of felling the famous tree was so serious it must be dealt with at the crown court.
A collection of small seedlings and buds from the 50ft tree propagated at the conservation charity’s plant conservation centre in Devon, which has so far bred more than 100 seedlings and more than 40 cuttings.
The seedling will continue to be cared for by expert horticulturists until it is ready for planting.
Hilary McGrady, director general of the National Trust, said: ‘It is wonderful news that His Majesty will one day have the very first sapling grown from this iconic tree.
‘The new tree will be seen by many thousands each year and will be the first of many Sycamore Gap saplings planted at different places, in Northumberland and beyond.
‘The swell of emotion we saw after the sycamore was felled goes to show how personally connected we all are to our natural heritage.
‘These new green shoots are keeping the story of the Sycamore Gap alive and are serving as a reminder of the simple and much-needed hope, joy and respite that nature can bring.’
The public got its first glimpse of the seedling at the Chelsea Flower Show on May 20 when Dame Judi Dench placed it in the Octavia Hill garden – named after the charity’s founder.
Andy Jasper, director of 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.’
The National Trust said planting plans for the other surviving seedlings will be announced later this year, including in Northumberland.
It is hoped the trees these seedlings grow into, including the one received by Charles, will distribute their own seeds widely through the wind.
The King last week made an appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show, where he was labelled the ‘King of the Compost’ by schoolchildren in a badge in honour for his environmental work.
The seedling given to Dame Judi Dench there will be planted in the Octavia Hill garden at the show, commemorating the founder of the National Trust.