To keep with Christmas tradition, the High Commissioner of Malta in the UK has sent a box of Maltese oranges as a Christmas gift to Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace.
This tradition was revived during the High Commissioner’s presentation of credentials to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 10 June 2009. When Her Majesty received the Maltese diplomat in Audience at Buckingham Palace, she fondly recalled how the late Mabel Strickland used to send her a box of Maltese oranges to Buckingham Palace every Christmas.
This year’s six dozen oranges, which came from the gardens of Mabel Strickland’s former Lija residence ‘Villa Parisio,’ were presented in a hand crafted wooden chest purposely made in Malta for this occasion.