Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - 24/4/2014


On a warm and sunny autumn morning, Their Royal Highnesses planted an English oak tree and then toured the Pod Playground at the National Arboretum Canberra, meeting children and teenagers from local schools and scout groups.

Their Royal Highnesses received a heartfelt welcome from children and adults alike. They took their time to mingle and chat with the guests, especially children, and thank them for the many flowers and thoughtful gifts they received.

The ACT Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, spoke about the Arboretum and the significance of such an important community event,

"This young tree will grow up alongside the children who love to play here – where it will, in years to come, provide shade in the summer and let the warm sun through in the winter.

Some of those children are with us today. And it's lovely to share this important event in the young history of the arboretum with the students who will be the future custodians of this important site.

Thank you again for your visit, this gesture and the time you have taken to meet the people of our community."

The public ballot

The ACT Government held a public ballot before the Royal visit to the National Arboretum, to give fifty interested Canberrans the opportunity to attend the private ceremonial tree planting with Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The ballot winners were thrilled to be able to attend such a significant event.

The growing tree

The English oak (Quercus robur) is a traditional symbol of England, representing strength and endurance and is a tree that has long been important to the people of Britain. This partly has its origins in an oak tree located at Boscobel House, where the future King Charles II hid from his Parliamentarian pursuers during the English Civil War.

For over 200 years the King's birthday was celebrated by wearing a sprig of oak leaves in remembrance of the event.

Over time, the English oak tree has become known as the Royal oak. The Royal British Navy has a long affiliation with the tree as many of the sailing warships were constructed using timber from the Royal oak. Many Royal British Navy warships have proudly borne the name the Royal oak and the Navy's official quick march is known as the Heart of the Oak.

The English oak is a large deciduous tree growing to 20 metres tall with a low-branching canopy of up to 20 metres wide. Its trunk and secondary branches are very thick and solid and covered with deep-fissured blackish-grey bark. The foliage is small with rounded lobes and its autumn colour is frequently a rich, dark brown. The Royal oak is well-known for its long life, with many trees over 1000 years old.

Ceremonial trees planted from around the world

Many world leaders have planted ceremonial trees at the Arboretum, including Mr Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary- General; Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; His Majesty Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, and now Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Read more about ceremonial tree plantings at the Arboretum.

Through ceremonial tree plantings and global tree conservation and research, the National Arboretum Canberra develops bonds with local, national and international communities. It is home to almost 50,000 trees from more than one hundred nations.