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British RoyalsFeaturesInsightThe Sussexes

Harry and Meghan’s Wedding Flowers are Shared with a Hospice

The flowers that framed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they emerged from St. George’s Chapel, Windsor on Saturday as husband and wife have become part of another very special moment. For some of those blooms have been turned into posies which have been sent to hospices and women’s refuges across London.

The gifts from Harry and Meghan came to light on Sunday evening when a series of tweets from one of the hospices showered with royal flowers came out. St. Joseph’s Hospice in London, which first opened its doors in 1905 and counted Queen Alexandra and her daughter, Victoria, among its earliest patrons, revealed the posies had been sent to every patient being supported there and shared a photo of one lady enjoying her very special bouquet.

The staff and patients thanked the newlyweds for their gifts, saying that the hospice ‘’smells and looks gorgeous’’. The official tweet, directed to Harry and Meghan as well Philippa Craddock who designed their wedding flowers, also said the decision to share the blooms was ‘’an amazing gesture’’, adding ‘’you’re all very kind’’.

The couple had indicated before their wedding that they would donate some of their wedding flowers to charitable organisations. The tweets from St. Joseph’s are the first confirmation of where the blooms have gone.

The posies sent out on Sunday were created from the floral arches that decorated the front of St. George’s Chapel for the Royal Wedding and which contained some of the couple’s favourite blooms. The cream and green colour scheme was repeated in the bride’s bouquet, which Prince Harry contributed to with blooms handpicked from the couple’s garden at Kensington Palace, and which also made another appearance on Sunday.

The wedding bouquet of the Duchess of Sussex was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier the day after her marriage, following a tradition begun back in 1923. Then, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon placed her bouquet on the tomb as she made her way into her wedding to Albert, Duke of York. That first royal tribute was in memory of her brother, Fergus, who had been killed in the Battle of Loos in 1915 as well as being an act of remembrace for all those killed in the First World War. Many royal brides since have made the same touching gesture. Now, in the year the centenary of the end of that conflict will be marked, the Duchess of Sussex has paid her own personal and poignant tribute.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.