Queen Elizabeth II's Subtle Floral Tribute to Ukraine for Trudeau Meeting

Queen Elizabeth II made a subtle show of support for Ukraine at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle this week.

The monarch, 95, who is also Queen of Canada, was photographed meeting Trudeau in front of a large floral display containing blue hydrangeas and yellow tulips. This color combination echoes that of the Ukrainian flag.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several members of the British royal family have spoken out in support of the Ukrainian people and in admonishment of Russian aggression in the region. These include statements made by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton and also Prince Charles.

The Queen, though restricted in what she can say politically due to her role as a constitutional monarch, has mastered the art of subtlety over her 70-year reign. The floral tribute is the latest in a long line of occasions where symbolism has been attached to objects associated with the monarch in order to communicate an unspoken message. Most typically this symbolism is attached to the jewels the Queen chooses to wear.

In 2018, during a visit paid by then-president Donald Trump to the Queen at Windsor Castle, much attention was paid to the choice of brooches she selected to wear. On the first day of the visit a brooch given to her by the Obamas was worn, on the second a snowflake brooch presented by the people of Canada with whom Trump was publicly displeased at the time, and on the final day a brooch worn to the funeral of the Queen's mother - not one associated with joy or happiness - was chosen.

The Queen's view of the situation in Ukraine has been made somewhat clear in the last two weeks with an announcement made via Twitter that she had privately donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The humanitarian nature of the appeal and apolitical nature of the DEC made it a safe choice for the monarch to support.

Following his audience with the Queen, her first since recovering from COVID-19 last month, Trudeau told a Downing Street press conference:

"I have had the particular privilege of having known Her Majesty for about 45 years now, and I can tell you that in my conversation with her this morning she was as insightful and perspicacious as ever, very interested in what is going on, asked me all sorts of questions about Canada."

Trudeau, 50, met the monarch as a child because he is the son of Canada's long-serving prime minister, Pierre Trudeau.

In a later Tweet, Trudeau stated:

"It's always wonderful to see Queen Elizabeth II. When we met at Windsor Castle, we spoke about a wide range of issues - including global affairs, the situation in Ukraine, and Her Majesty's lifetime of service to Canada and the Commonwealth."