The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in welcomed with Diana Orchids in Singapore
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge began their tour of the Far East yesterday and were presented with some beautiful flowers whilst in Singapore.
On their first day of the 9 day Diamond Jubilee tour, William and Kate were presented with an orchid named after Williams mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Diana was due to be officially presented with the orchid, dendrobium memoria Princess Diana, just two weeks after she tragically died in 1997. William called the flower “beautiful” and spoke of how it was a shame that his mother never got to see the flower.
The manager of the gardens, Alan Tan Chye Soon, said “It was so sad that she never saw it. It is one of our favourite orchids, and most popular. We were getting ready for her to come over when she died. It was like William and Kate are fulfilling her promise today,”.
The couple were also presented with an orchid in honour of themselves, the vanda William Catherine, with beautiful white petals and purple spots. The couple were shown around the gardens, which has many flowers named after famous figures such as Nelson Mandela and the Queen, as well as meeting many of the gardeners and scientists who designed the flowers on show.
After their visit to Singapore the Duke and Duchess will be going on to visit Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.