The Queen has received a commemorative rose to mark what would have been the 100th birthday of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.
The deep pink commemorative rose, bred by the Royal Horticultural Society—of which The Queen is President—was presented to Her Majesty in a ceremony last week. When presented with the rose, The Queen simply stated: “It looks lovely.”
The Duke of Edinburgh Rose was then planted in the East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle amongst the mixed rose border.
The East Terrace Garden is an especially poignant area for the late Duke’s rose to be planted: he helped design the garden by restructuring the flowerbeds and commissioning a bronze lotus fountain as a central feature.
“Whilst being very poignant, it was also a delight to give Her Majesty The Queen, Patron of the Royal Horticultural Society, the Duke of Edinburgh Rose to mark what would have been HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday and to remember his remarkable life,” said Keith Weed, President of the Royal Horticultural Society.
“The Duke’s devotion to raising public awareness of the importance of conserving the natural world leaves a lasting legacy.”
The Duke of Edinburgh Rose is available for sale to the general public, with £2.50 from each sale benefitting The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Living Legacy Fund, which will enable more young people to complete the award scheme.
Set up in the aftermath of his death on 9 April, the Living Legacy Fund will support one million young people to complete their awards and has already raised half a million pounds.
“We are thrilled to introduce this brand-new commemorative rose to remember the remarkable life of The Duke of Edinburgh,” said Philip Harkness, Managing Director of Harkness Roses, in a statement on The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award website.
“In buying this rose, you will also be giving one million more young people the opportunity to do their DofE Award, so not only is this rose spectacular to look at, but you will also be raising funds for a very worthy cause.”
The Duke of Edinburgh Rose can be purchased here.