The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have taken to Instagram to thank their fans for creating a new campaign with the aim to plant 10,000 trees in theirs’ and Archie’s names.
Posting to their Sussex Royal Instagram stories, Meghan and Harry wrote: “Huge thanks to the amazing group of people who have launched the grassroots Sussex Great Forest initiative. What a special surprise!
“The aim of this project is to plant 10,000 trees around the world by donating globally and planting locally.
“We are so inspired! Thank you!”
Prince Harry plants trees with schoolchildren in Botswana during his recent official visit. (Image: Getty)
Both Harry and Meghan are incredibly passionate about the environment and conservation and this was spotlighted when the couple toured southern Africa recently, with Harry saying conservation “is fundamental to our survival and we must overcome greed, apathy, and selfishness if we are to make real progress.”
And it’s clear the couple’s efforts are not in vain, with Harry and Meghan inspiring their fans to create the #SussexGreatForest, launched in celebration of World Children’s Day on November 20th with the hopes to reach their goal of planting 10,000 trees by Archie’s first birthday on May 6th next year.
According to the Daily Mail, Harry and Meghan’s fans had already planted an impressive 4000 trees after just three days of the campaign being launched.
The project, created by 12 people from around the world, has also selected four charities for people to plant trees in the Sussexes’ names including UK-based Tree Sisters, US non-profit One Tree Planted, the UK’s International Tree Foundation and Kenya’s indigenous Green Belt Movement.
Speaking to BAZAAR.com, one of the organisers Erica Sanders says the initiative was inspired by Harry’s #LookingUp social media campaign which he launched with National Geographic to highlight his work with the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy.
“This is a global issue that needs global support and we are a global network of people,” Erica told BAZAAR.com.
“This is our way of giving back to the world and telling Harry, ‘We heard you.'”
New York-based organiser Rita Anne Wallace adds, “We are inspired by the passion Prince Harry has shown for the environment, Meghan for uplifting women – who are the beneficiaries of some of the organisations we’ve chosen – as well as by young people like Greta Thunberg who are clamouring for us adults to do something to change the world we pass down to them.”
This isn’t the first time Harry and Meghan’s fans have worked to make a global impact.
Ahead of Archie’s birth this year, the Sussexes’ fans organised a virtual baby shower, #GlobalSussexBabyShower, which saw thousands of dollars donated to some of the couple’s favourite charities in lieu of baby shower gifts.
Some of the charities who benefited from the royal couple’s fans’ generous donations included The Lunchbox Fund, Little Village, WellChild and Baby2Baby.
Some of Meghan and Harry’s favourite charities benefited from the generosity of their fans. (Image: Getty)
The Duke and Duchess are currently on an extended break from royal duties, with the family-of-three confirmed to be spending time with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland over the festive season.
Earlier this month Buckingham Palace announced the Sussexes would not be joining the rest of the royal family for Christmas at Sandringham, and while many have speculated the decision was made as things were still tense between the couple and the rest of the family following the airing of the recent ITV documentary, the move is not unheard of, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also alternating between Christmas spent with the royals and Catherine’s family, the Middletons.
