The royals were present for one of the most fun and festive engagements of the year this weekend: the raucous, colorful Braemar Highland Gathering in Scotland.
Every year on the first Saturday of September, the Princess Royal & Duke of Fife Memorial Park in Braemar comes alive with Scottish cultural celebrations and highland games. The royals head over from Balmoral to join in the fun. Usually the Queen, who is the patron of the Braemar Royal Highland Society, is a regular attendant at the gathering, but she was unable to attend this year. In her place, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay (as the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are known while in Scotland) cut the heather rope to officially open the new Platinum Jubilee Archway at the park.
They were joined by the Princess Royal at this year’s gathering, watching events like highland dancing, piping, caber tossing, and the tug of war.
Anne and Camilla received posies of heather from a pair of young dancers, Chloe Guy and Cassie Stewart.
The royals always get a huge kick out of watching the games, and we’re treated to rare photos of them in silly mode. Here’s Charles and Camilla…
…and here’s Charles and Anne, looking so much like the little brother and sister they were in their earliest appearances at the event.
All of the royals wore outfits with Scottish touches for the gathering. Camilla chose a green coat with red plaid trim and a matching hat with a feather detail.
Her jewelry included her favorite diamond and pearl drop earrings, a small floral brooch pinned to her collar, and her engagement and wedding rings.
Here’s a closer look at the brooch, designed as a single blossom made of diamonds and amethysts.
Anne wore a green and red plaid suit with red and black accessories, including a bright red hat with a thistle detail.
On her jacket, Anne wore a military badge (associated, I believe, with the Royal Scots) rendered in gold and diamonds. Earlier this summer, she wore the same badge for a garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Her predecessor as Princess Royal, her great-aunt Mary, had an identical badge, worn in place of pride on her wedding dress 100 years ago. Could it be the same one? Both served as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots, and Anne continues to serve as patron of the Royal Scots Regimental Association. (She’s even wearing the badge in the portrait on their website.)
Charles was in his finest Scottish attire as well, wearing tweed with a kilt—in, I believe, the Stewart Hunting tartan. (Please correct me if I’m wrong, tartan experts!)
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