What You Can Take From Kensington Palace For Free
If you're a travel junkie or related to one, you'll be familiar with the strange allure of tourist souvenirs. While you normally wouldn't look twice at "I love (city)" t-shirts or plastic figurines of famous monuments, somehow the urge to blow your budget on overpriced keepsakes becomes irresistible once you're abroad. And even if you questioned your sanity once you unpacked a stack of wonky fridge magnets back home, perhaps those souvenirs offered some comfort and happy memories in the time of travel restrictions.
Luckily, with global borders slowly opening, you'll soon be able to expand your collection once more. And, if you're heading to the U.K., you can even pick up a free keepsake courtesy of none other than Prince William and Kate Middleton. It turns out that you can snag a special something right outside of Kensington Palace, the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. And it's much more significant than a keychain with their faces on it (though we'd take that too). Read on to find out how the freebie supports a cause close to the royal couple's hearts.
Why you can get free paper poppies from Kensington Palace
They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. That might be true, but at least you can grab a free paper poppy from outside Kensington Palace, compliments of Prince William and Kate Middleton. And while the red flowers might not soothe your hunger pains, they do hold a special meaning, serving as a tribute to those who lost their lives in combat, as per Town and Country.
Every year, the Poppy Appeal, a 100-year-old charity movement run by the British Royal Legion, gives out poppies in exchange for donations to help support the armed forces. In an Instagram post, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge showed their support by placing the free box of poppies outside the palace, encouraging passersby to take one and donate to the cause in the caption.
It's not the first time William and Kate have shown support for the movement, with Entertainment Daily noting that the couple had previously delivered a home-baked batch of poppy-decorates cakes to a care home in Norfolk. So, if you're in the U.K., why not pick up a souvenir with a deeper meaning? At the very least you can say you received some flowers from royalty!