Kate Middleton Plants Tree Dedicated to Queen Elizabeth at a Spot with Special Meaning for Both Women

Kate Middleton's Christmas carol concert included numerous tributes to Queen Elizabeth II — including one that wasn't revealed until now.

Westminster Abbey and the Queen's Green Canopy revealed on Tuesday that the Princess of Wales planted a wild cherry tree in Dean's Yard at Westminster Abbey to mark the memory of Queen Elizabeth ahead of the holiday service. In photos from the ceremony, Kate is seen using a shovel to place dirt around the tree. It forms part of the Queen's Green Canopy, an initiative to celebrate the monarch's Platinum Jubilee that saw over one million trees planted across the nation in her honor.

A plaque beside the tree reads: "This wild cherry tree, a gift from the Duchy of Cornwall, was dedicated in memory of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales on 14th December 2022."

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Princess Kate was welcomed to the Abbey by the Dean, the Very Reverend Dr. David Hoyle and members of the Chapter of Westminster. The Abbey's Head Gardener, Jan Pancheri, and her colleagues, Cormac Connolly and Danny Bitten, were also presented to the Princess of Wales during the event last week.

The Queen's Green Canopy/Instagram Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales

For the tree planting ceremony, Kate recycled her tartan double-breasted coat by Holland Cooper, a piece she previously wore in a video for the Royal British Legion and the Scouts released last year.

Westminster Abbey is a place of special meaning for both women. Not only has the historic church hosted Princess Kate's Christmas carol concerts for the past two years, but it's also where she married Prince William in April 2011.

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Queen Elizabeth also had her wedding at Westminster Abbey, marrying Prince Philip there in November 1947, as well as her coronation in 1953. She returned there numerous times throughout her reign for various services, and the monarch's state funeral was hosted by the Abbey in September. Over 2,000 people, including world leaders and foreign royals, gathered to pay tribute to the history-making monarch.

Anwar Hussein/WireImage Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth

For Royal Carols: Together at Christmas, there were many nods to Queen Elizabeth throughout the service. At the start, a film played highlighting how the late Queen was at the heart of Christmas Day for so many people. Her annual address, which aired each Christmas in the afternoon, was a longstanding tradition that now passes to King Charles III as sovereign.

In another honor, Prince William read part of his late grandmother's Christmas broadcast from 2012.

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Getty Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Kate Middleton

Paddington Bear ornaments also adorned the Christmas trees in Westminster Abbey. Queen Elizabeth became associated with Paddington Bear after filming a hilarious skit with the character that aired during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, and over 1,000 Paddingtons and teddy bears were left by the public outside her royal residences in London and Windsor following her death.

"This carol service is dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and to all those who are sadly no longer with us. Her Late Majesty's strongly held values of duty, compassion and faith have guided the creation of this service," a message inside the program for Royal Carols: Together at Christmas read.