Flowers that decorated the St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday are serving a new purpose now that the royal wedding has wrapped up.
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They’re bringing smiles to the residents at St. Joseph’s Hospice.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Sussex, donated bouquets of the flowers to residents of the London facility.
In a Facebook post Sunday, St. Joseph’s Hospice thanked the newlyweds for the thoughtful gesture.
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“Today we got a very special delivery,” the post read. “Beautiful bouquets made from the #royalwedding flowers which we gave to our patients. A big thank you to Harry and Meghan and florist Philippa Craddock. Our hospice smells and looks gorgeous. Such a lovely gesture.”
The resident holding the flowers in the photo is 89-year-old Pauline Clayton, who was especially excited about the delivery, BBC News reported.
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Clayton previously worked for royal dressmaker Norman Hartnell, and helped make Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress.
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“With my royal connections, it’s such a lovely coincidence to be at St Joseph’s and receive these wedding flowers,” Clayton told BBC News. “They are beautiful and very special.”
London-based florist Philippa Craddock, who was in charge of the arrangements, designed the bouquets for the residents.
The royal couple had previously announced their plans to donate the flowers following the ceremony, but had not disclosed exactly where they would go.
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The arrangements featured plants such as white garden roses, peonies and foxgloves, which were set off by branches of beech, birch and hornbeam.
The Royal Parks supplied some plants taken from wildflower meadows.
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The bouquet that the Duchess of Sussex carried during the wedding ceremony was taken to Westminster Abbey and placed on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, as per royal tradition.
The practice began in 1923, after Queen Elizabeth placed her bouquet on the grave in honour of her brother, Fergus, who was killed during the First World War.
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— With a file from The Associated Press
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