The Queen’s Green Canopy ended its run in March 2023, leaving behind a physical record of more than three million trees scattered across the United Kingdom. It started as a Platinum Jubilee project in 2021, launched by Queen Elizabeth II and the then Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle. The goal was simple: let anyone—from schools to local councils—plant a tree to mark her 70 years on the throne.
Then, in September 2022, the Queen died. The initiative didn’t stop. King Charles III, then the new patron, extended the planting window into the following spring. This shift changed the project’s character entirely. What began as a celebration of a reign became a final act of remembrance. By the time the final trees went into the ground, the initiative had grown into a dual tribute: a mark of the Jubilee and a memorial for the late monarch.
The project wasn’t just about digging holes. It highlighted 70 ancient woodlands and 70 ancient trees, connecting new growth to the UK’s older natural heritage. In London, a temporary structure called the “Tree of Trees” featured hundreds of young native trees. After the Jubilee celebrations, those saplings were distributed for planting elsewhere, linking the ceremony to the long-term effort.
The legacy is unique because it isn’t one big monument. It’s a distributed collection of trees in gardens, school grounds, and community spaces. An interactive map tracks these locations, creating a geographic record of the national effort. For now, the planting phase is over. The trees remain. They stand as a living record of a reign that spanned seven decades, now rooted in communities from Balmoral to Windsor.