London, Jul 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a tree sapling as part of his “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” environmental initiative to King Charles III during his audience with the monarch at his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England, on Thursday.

The sapling will be planted on the estate during planting season in the autumn, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters during a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing around the Prime Minister’s visit.

“This afternoon, the King received the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, at Sandringham House,” Buckingham Palace said in a social media statement along with an image of Modi with King Charles.

“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 statement said.

Charles and Modi are known to share a common holistic environmental vision and topics such as Yoga and Ayurveda are expected to have been covered during their meeting.

According to official sources, the tree presented to the King is known as Davidia involucrata ‘Sonoma’, commonly known as the Sonoma dove tree or handkerchief tree, is an ornamental tree celebrated for its early and abundant flowering.

Unlike the species form of Davidia involucrata, which often takes 10 to 20 years to bloom, ‘Sonoma’ is a precocious cultivar that typically begins flowering within two to three years of planting.

Its most iconic feature is the pair of large, fluttering white bracts that resemble handkerchiefs or doves suspended from the branches, creating a spectacular visual display in late spring.

The royal audience came towards the end of a packed prime ministerial schedule during which Modi and Keir Starmer held wide-ranging bilateral talks and oversaw the signing of a historic India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) at Chequers – the British Prime Minister’s official country residence in Buckinghamshire, near London.

“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,” Prime Minister 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 said.

He also highlighted how both nations are connected by a “shared passion for cricket” during an interaction with players from Buckinghamshire Street Cricket Hubs.

“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,” said Modi.

Beyond cricket, Modi admired a Premier League trophy, saying football is “widely admired among India's youth and several football clubs based in the UK are very popular in India”.

At the conclusion of his UK visit, the Prime Minister will fly out to the Maldives for the second leg of his two-nation tour, where he is the Guest of Honour at the island nation’s Independence Day celebrations. PTI AK SCY SCY