William and Catherine visit Princess Diana Orchid
Prince William and his wife Catherine visited Singapore’s Botanic Gardens earlier this week to view a white orchid named in honour of his mother.
Princess Diana never got to see the magnificent free-flowing hybrid orchid, named Dendrobium Memoria, as she died only a few weeks before a scheduled trip to Singapore in 1997.
It was reported that William called the delicate flower “beautiful”.
The royal couple also witnessed a new orchid planted in honour of their marriage. The orchid has been named Vanda William Catherine and will grow in the same VIP area of the garden as Princess Diana’s.
During their visit to the garden the royal couple were shown orchids named after Prince William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher. They also met a number of scientists and gardeners who created the hybrid flowers.
The Duke and Duchess are currently visiting Singapore as part of their 2012 tour celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. They will then visit Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur and Sabah, Borneo, the Solomon Islands and end their trip with a visit to Tuvalu. This was the first royal visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens since Queen Elizabeth II, toured the garden in 1972.
