His mother and oldest son might be on vacation, but Prince Charles was still “working” this week, doing events at Sandringham, Stafford and then Scotland. He went to Scrabster Beach to meet with a clean-up group. This is being described as a “two-day visit to Scotland,” which is weird because I assumed that Charles and Camilla would probably spend the month of August in Scotland anyway. They usually do – they go to Birkhall, which is the home his grandmother left him. They also visit the Queen at Balmoral. I wonder if they’re going to spend four to six weeks in Scotland like always, or if they have other plans.
Anyway, as you can see, Charles wore a kilt when he met with the beach crew. He often wears a kilt in Scotland. I suppose he thinks it endears him to the people of Tartan Disneyland. Charles’ current Scottish title is the Duke of Rothesay, but Charles is now the Duke of Edinburgh since his father died. Charles was reportedly interested in using the DoE title now, but he was advised against it. And if he can’t use it, he’s certainly not going to give it to Prince Edward.
As for endearing himself to Scotland… well. The problem is bigger than Charles, I’ll say that. I suspect that no amount of “visits” from William, Kate, Charles, Camilla and the Queen will change the growing calls for Scottish Independence. But I also suspect that Scottish people are kind of curious about just how far the royals will go to “keep” Scotland. Perhaps Charles should also be pretty concerned about whether *anyone* wants to keep the monarchy. Speaking of, the British group Republic has put up these billboards:
We've posted the locations of Republic's first 12 billboards on the crowdfunder page. They're all going up this week. Check out the details at https://t.co/BlAMjMyWZZ pic.twitter.com/Lk3XFjPCuB
— Republic (@RepublicStaff) July 28, 2021
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Charles in a kilt… is that considered respectful to Scots or do they just roll their eyes and it just adds to the idea of a “tartan Disneyland” for the royals?
Birkhall is on the Balmoral estate so he doesnt stay at Balmoral itself. he’s just there already. Castle of Mey is the one that’s farther out and supposedly where Harry and Meghan visited him in the summer after their wedding.
I’m Scottish and, for what it’s worth, I’ve always thought it’s a bit patronising and reductive, really. It’s like they think they can whip out their kilts and fit right in. Nobody wears kilts like that in Scotland, except schoolgirls and posh people at weddings.
I think every (American) person I know who has worn a kilt to a wedding has gone on to have 23andMe results show that they were actually like, Chinese and Madagascan rather than Scottish.
I wouldn’t consider my family posh but nearly all the men wear kilts at weddings.
But charles isn’t at a wedding lol. So weddings aside – do people (scottish or not) wear kilts on a regular basis, or is this Charles playing dress up? (which is what it has always seemed to me, but he’s done it for ages now, and Philip used to do it as well.)
@Becks1 – it’s more formal attire and personal choice, or military, so it wouldn’t just be weddings but it feels like it’s a bit of a dying tradition.
I’m pretty sure the royals will have Scottish blood in them somewhere along the line. I think most white people in the UK wouldn’t have to look too far to find Scottish and Irish ancestry but saying that, there’s also a decent number of people who appear not to have moved much in generations.
@miranda 😂😂 I confess I did my son (Andrew, named for the patron saint) a kilt when we were in Scotland but we do have Scottish heritage. But he’s only worn it to Burns Night. Lol
Wasn’t the Queen Mother scottish? I thought she was a descendant of the Earls of Strathmore? So, he does honestly have a some Scottish blood?
Yes her father was the Earl of Strathmore. The ancestral home is Glamis Castle.
If you’ve got a summer playground why not use it I guess, who cares about the common folk, someone needs to do all the work after all.
I’ve just donated to the billboard campaign so I feel I’ve done something positive with my afternoon.
I’m of the opinion that the royals should stop wearing kilts. Seems insulting for them to co-opt a symbol of a country’s identity, especially since they banned the wearing of kilts for 35 years or so.
Not sure if it matters but the queens mother was from Scotland, so she isn’t a complete outsider.
The royals should stop wearing kilts when they go to Scotland as others have said it’s patronizing.
That billboard is…chef’s kiss. Absolutely brilliant.
I am just here for the billboard. It’s brilliant
Im always the first one to make fun of Kate for her Cosplay, so I should stop leaving the men out of that. It is far more reductive what the men do when they visit Scotland.
I like the idea of the billboard but find the slogan misses a bit. The Monarchy is decorative so I’m not sure what an elected alternative would be? I guess I would prefer stop shielding this perv from the law .
ETA: I can’t speak to how the Scots feel about his dress, but it is impeccable. I am admiring the color and print combos, all the way down to his pin and knife in the sock
It’s not just decorative though! We see that every time the Queen petitions for laws not to apply to royal holdings. Or to Andrew. And the monarch has actual legal duties as well, as head of state. They are supposed to demonstrate the unified spirit of the people of the UK, which is why they’re the ones handing out medals and welcoming ambassadors.
Technically the monarch also holds some political power, like the prerogative to summon Parliament and assent to new laws but there’s literally no way any monarch could actually use that power for their own purposes in this day and age. But all of this is kept within one family regardless of how suited they are to being the head of a state and without any real way of holding them accountable for their actions.
OT, but I just want to say I find the name “Scrabster Beach” funny. It sounds like something on Spongebob.
You know the royal gossip has dried up when we’re forced to settle for Prince Tampon fashion posts!
That Republic group is so lame. I’m surprised anyone takes them seriously. They spent a good chunk of time last year attacking Harry and implying he misappropriated charity funds, for which they were sued and forced to issue an apology, and go silent on real issues like the Queen’s influence on being exempt from legislation like fair employment laws or how the royals hide their wealth. Anyway, Charles looks ridiculous like he’s wearing a costume but that’s how he always dresses when he’s up there.
They also were pretty friendly with Richard Palmer over at the Daily Express.
I don’t know if it’s appropriate but Philip and Charles both wore/wear a kilt very well. I’ve always found kilts worn as the bottom half of a suit very good looking on men.
They definitely had/have their faults but being a bad dresser isn’t one. Both men were always very well turned out. If William has to emulate any of the traits too bad he didn’t pick natty dressing as one.
I like the dog. Big fan of boxers. That’s about all I’ve got for this post.
My first thought about that picture was that the dog looks pretty over it all. Lol!
I have a boxer pup, super sweet dog.
I still cant understand why, when they are undertaking this charm offensive to make Scotland remain, no-one thought to have a royal attend a scottish euro game.
Or a Welsh game. But like the British government they didn’t even pretend to care about countries that aren’t England.
Just for another perspective, the original (and I think best) translator of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time ( aka Remembrance of Things Past), the Scotsman C.K. Scott Moncrieff, said true Scotsmen never wore anything underneath the kilt (I read a biography of his by a relative). So I wonder if Charles goes commando in a kilt too?
I know actual Scots (as in people living in Scotland, not those who just have some Scottish DNA) don’t often particularly enjoy people who aren’t Scottish wearing kilts. I’m sure there are a lot of them that have especially vehement feelings about it being done by a royal as day to day wear.
Do you think that maybe Charles chipped in for the Billboard???