The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
What will happen to sea of flowers and tributes at Balmoral?
Thousands of flowers and tributes have been left at the gates of Balmoral in memory of the Queen, but what will happen to them?
Ever since the news broke on Thursday, mourners from all across the country have travelled to the royal family’s Aberdeenshire home to pay their respects.
A sea of floral tributes have been placed in Her Majesty’s memory, as well as cards, toys, flags, and even a homemade model corgi.
But how long will they be left at Balmoral?
To mark the Platinum Jubilee, Her Majesty joined her son Charles, now King Charles III, to plant a tree at Balmoral Estate last October.
The planting of the copper beech sapling in the castle grounds heralded the start of the Queen’s Green Canopy project that year.
The scheme encourages people to start their own tree-planting initiatives across the UK and “create a lasting legacy” for Her Majesty, and seeks to inspire younger generations to look after the nation’s forests. The royal tree-planters were joined by children from Crathie Primary School, who made a card for the Queen to mark the end of her summer break at Balmoral.
It is this tree, as well as other trees which were planted around Balmoral to mark the Jubilee, which will now benefit from the floral tributes left at the castle’s gates after the death of the beloved monarch.
All the flowers will be left in place until after the state funeral of the Queen on Monday, and afterwards they will be removed by Balmoral Estate staff, and turned into compost.
This compost will then be used to feed the trees planted around Balmoral, including the one planted by Her Majesty and King Charles III, as part of the Platinum Jubilee.
As well as the flowers, all the other tributes at Balmoral will be left in place until after the funeral. Aberdeenshire Council confirmed that all of the many cards and other tributes will be collected and archived “for the historic record”.