Falkirk Provost greets Royal couple on 'secret' visit to Kelpies

It appears the visit was very hush hush – and short, only lasting around 30 minutes but enough time for the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, as the Prince and Princess of Wales are known while in Scotland, to get some photographs taken and be presented by a book about The Kelpies by Provost Robert Bissett.

The Royal couple were on their way to engagements in the Stirling area when they visited the Falkirk park to view the towering landmarks.

In a social media post, the couple wrote: “Meeting Duke and Baron. Starting the day in Scotland at The Kelpies, learning about the mythology and remarkable craftsmanship behind these incredible sculptures.”

Their post already has over 264,000 likes with the number growing all the time.

The Kelpies stopover was not listed on their official list of engagement for the day but it seems the couple wanted to see the iconic sculptures for themselves.

Provost Bissett said: “They thoroughly enjoyed The Kelpies and went inside to see the internal structure. On the walk back to the car they stopped and spoke to many people which was good to see.

"They were very easy to speak to and I said that I was delighted to welcome them to Falkirk and to our amazing world famous Kelpies.

"On their departure I presented them with a book on the Kelpies.”

The Kelpies were officially unveiled by HRH The Princess Royal in 2015 and the late Queen gave The Kelpies her seal of approval in 2017 when she was at The Helix to open a new section of the Forth & Clyde canal.

John Paterson, chief executive of Scottish Canals said: “We were delighted to see The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay visit Falkirk yesterday to admire Scotland’s iconic Kelpies.

“Their visit comes just over a decade after the sculptures were officially opened by The Princess Royal. The majestic Kelpies, created by Andy Scott, form the gateway to Scotland’s newest stretch of Canal, the Queen Elizabeth II Canal, and are now recognised as one of Scotland’s most celebrated landmarks, attracting eight million visitors from around the world, including her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the late Duke of Edinburgh in 2017.

“It was a joy to welcome back royalty to experience one of the jewels in the crown of Scottish Canals’ many attractions.”

The Royal pair continued their visit to Scotland at the National Curling Centre in Stirling’s The Peak sports centre before visiting a weaving centre in the heart of the city.

They finished up their trip with a stopover at The Goth pub in Fallin where they learned about the community run venture – as well as enjoying a small refreshment.

It was at The Peak that Camelon toddler Christie Grimshaw presented a bouquet of pink flowers to the Duchess.

Her mum Amy Weir admits to being “a royal fan” and when she heard who was coming to Stirling she knew that she had to be there.

And their two hour waiting inside was worth it, according to Amy, as when the Royals arrived, Princess Catherine spotted them in the crowd and came across to speak.

Cue little Christie handing over the bouquet of pink blooms.

Accepting them, the princess asked if Christie had picked them and when she said yes, she asked if pink was her favourite colour as the three-year-old was wearing a pink coat.

Back home in Camelon after their exciting Royal encounter, Amy said: “Meeting the Princess was honestly one of the best moments of my life. I am royal fan and I love what they do and bring to the UK, so for me it was truly amazing.

"As a mum I was so so proud of Christie – she spoke well and was very polite.

“We waited from 11am for the Prince and Princess to arrive, so about two hours and Christie was super – so well behaved and for a three year old that’s really something.”

Sadly dad Andrew and big sister Poppy, eight, missed out on the Royal encounter, but Amy and Christie had lots of photographs and video to share with them of the special day.