Prime Minister Narendra Modi met King Charles III at Sandringham House on Thursday as part of his official visit to the United Kingdom.
During the meeting, Modi presented the King with a sapling of Davidia involucrata ‘Sonoma’, commonly known as the Sonoma dove tree or handkerchief tree.
The gesture was made under the Prime Minister’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, which encourages people to plant a tree in tribute to their mothers.
“This afternoon, The King received the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, @NarendraModi, at Sandringham House. During their time together, His Majesty was given a tree to be planted this Autumn, inspired by the environmental initiative launched by the Prime Minister, ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, which encourages people to plant a tree in tribute to their mothers,” the Royal Family said in a post on X.
The Sonoma dove tree is an ornamental species known for its large white bracts that resemble handkerchiefs or doves. Unlike the standard Davidia involucrata, which can take up to 20 years to bloom, the ‘Sonoma’ cultivar flowers within two to three years of planting.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and King Charles III discussed bilateral relations and progress in India-England ties.
“They also discussed avenues for collaboration in promoting Ayurveda, Yoga and Mission LIFE (Lifestyle For Environment), to spread the benefits to the UK,” Jaiswal wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}“They also discussed avenues for collaboration in promoting Ayurveda, Yoga and Mission LIFE (Lifestyle For Environment), to spread the benefits to the UK,” Jaiswal wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}The royal audience at Sandringham came towards the end of a packed schedule for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who earlier in the day held wide-ranging bilateral talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and witnessed the signing of the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) at Chequers, the British Prime Minister’s official country residence in Buckinghamshire.
“At Chequers, PM Keir Starmer and I saw an exhibition which gave a glimpse of the strong economic linkages between India and the UK. With the signing of CETA, these linkages will rise manifold,” Modi said in a social media post.
“Interacted with business leaders at Chequers. The signing of the India-UK CETA has opened up new avenues for trade and investment. It marks a pivotal step in strengthening our economic partnership,” he added.
During an interaction with players from Buckinghamshire Street Cricket Hubs, Modi also noted how cricket connects the two countries through a “shared passion”.
“Great to see sport fostering people-to-people ties between our nations. Also gave my young friends a bat signed by the Indian cricket team which won the T20 World Cup,” he said.
Apart from cricket, Modi also admired a Premier League trophy on display, commenting that football is “widely admired among India's youth and several football clubs based in the UK are very popular in India”.