UK: Royal Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Secretly Joined Families to Help Plant Garden for Children’s Hospice
The garden also includes strawberry plants, geraniums, and hydrangeas to create a “calming” color scheme.
By Omid Scobie
Harper’s Bazaar
Jun 27 2020
Excerpt:
As the coronavirus lockdown in the U.K. continues to ease, more members of the British royal family are now stepping away from Zoom to carry out in-person engagements.
Duchess Kate quietly joined families from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) to help plant a garden at The Nook, one of the charity’s purpose-build hospices.
The Duchess of Cambridge traveled from Norfolk to Norwich on Thursday, June 25, to mark the end of Children’s Hospice Week to meet with staff from EACH’s care and facilities team to thank them “for the incredible work that they do,” according to a Kensington Palace statement.
And while there were a number of people from EACH on standby to help with the gardening, Kate arrived prepared—with plants she bought during her garden center visit last week. Making the one-hour journey to the hospice alongside the duchess were plants from the including lavender, bay leaf, and rosemary. The “sensory” plants continue the theme found in EACH hospice Sensory Rooms, which contain a variety of technology and products that can stimulate or relax the senses and help children who are unable to talk or communicate develop their communications skills.
While the group were socially distanced, Kate worked alongside an EACH volunteer gardener, members of staff, and two families to “help create a space that would provide enjoyment for children and families,” the spokesperson added. The garden also includes strawberry plants, geraniums, and hydrangeas to create a “calming” color scheme. The duchess also kept her vow to plant a sunflower in memory of Fraser Delf, who was cared for by the hospice.
