Queen unveils new Highland Games pavilion
She opened it at the Braemar Gathering of the games which were just a short distance from Balmoral.
Last updated 1st Sep 2018
The Queen has officially opened a new Highland Games pavilion during Saturday’s annual Braemar Gathering.
She joined 15,000 visitors at the event, which is held only a short distance from the royals' summer retreat on the Balmoral estate.
The Aberdeenshire town has hosted the event for 203 years and this year marked the 170th anniversary of Royal Family links.
The Queen, wearing a striking jade-green dress suit, was joined by the Duke of Rothesay as well as the Princess Royal and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park.
The Queen and Princess Anne were both presented with floral posies which they carried throughout their hour-long visit.
Before leaving, the Queen and the Duke of Rothesay officially unveiled the newly-built Highland Games Pavilion, which will open to the public next year and will showcase the history of the Highland Games, not just in Braemar but across the world.
The £2.5 million heritage centre is named after the Duke of Rothesay and was partly funded and driven by the Prince's Foundation as well as numerous local donors.
Leading the tour of the new property, David Geddes, president of Braemar Royal Highland Society, said he hopes the exhibition will become a draw for people from across the globe.
He said: “Even members of the committee didn't know of the existence of many of the items that now feature in the exhibition.
“It was nice to go through all the donated pieces - some of the finds have created a bit of a stir in the village.”
Exhibits include items from Highland Games and Gatherings, such as medals and trophies, and partner The Scottish Tartans Authority will also contribute to the collection.
The facility also provides a new headquarters for the Braemar Royal Highland Society, and is expected to open to the public early in 2019.
Marking its centenary, the RAF chose the Gathering as one of its main RAF100 events - a C130 Hercules from RAF Brize Norton performed a fly-by to the delight of the crowds.
The Queen is the current, and longest serving, patron of the Braemar Royal Highland Society.
Having first attended with her parents and grandparents at the age of seven in 1933, she has only missed the Gathering four times since taking the throne in 1952.
The day includes competitions in events including tossing the caber, hammer throwing and tug of war, as well as performances of pipe bands and Highland dancers