The Princess of Wales made a poignant donation to the Aberfan Memorial Garden in Wales last autumn, a gesture that has only now come to light a year after it took place.
Princess Catherine quietly gifted a bloom named after her to the historic site, where visitors can now see a plaque alongside the flower. The plaque reads: "Catherine's Rose A Gift From HRH The Princess of Wales October 2025."
A Rose Named in Honour of the Princess
The floribunda, grown by Harkness Roses, was named in honour of the Princess by the Royal Horticultural Society last year. The rose was created to "celebrate the incredible healing power of nature" and to highlight the vital role the outdoors plays in supporting mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.
Funds raised from the sale of Catherine's Rose are donated directly to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Timing of the Gift
Catherine's gift emerged after the King and Queen and the princess's husband, Prince William, visited the site on October 21 to mark 60 years since the Aberfan disaster.
This is not the first time the future Queen has donated the rose. In February, she also gave it to a prison's mother and baby unit, one year after her visit there.
Donation to HMP Styal
Catherine's donation went to HMP Styal, a women's prison in Cheshire. Action for Children, of which Catherine is patron, said the rose was planted in its new home by a mother and child who met the princess last February, along with staff from the charity.
The charity, which runs the mother and baby service, said the princess had discussed the prospect of the rose, then in development, being given as a gift for the unit's outside space while she was touring the unit.
