Governor George Fergusson and his wife have sent Bermuda Easter Lilies to the Queen, continuing a long tradition.

This year’s lilies were grown in the Government House gardens. Government House said that Her Majesty’s Easter Lilies travelled on Tuesday evening’s British Airways flight to London and should reach Windsor Castle today.

Bermuda is said to have been responsible for America adopting its trumpet-like white lily as the official Easter lily in the 1880s, when an enthusiastic gardener from Philadelphia brought bulbs home with her. Shortly thereafter, they were introduced to spring shows throughout America. Ten years later, sizeable shipments of bulbs were being made from Bermuda to the US and England, and a lively trade soon developed.

While the Easter Lily is no longer a major crop in Bermuda, the island still sends some of the flowers to the Queen every year.