FalkirkArgyll veterans meet HM The King at Balmoral Castle

They were all former soldiers wit the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and were invited to meet HM The King as he planted a tree in memory of his late mother.

The copper beech tree commemorates the the dedicated service by Her Late Majesty The Queen to Her former regiment, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s).

The King is royal patron on The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association, a role his mother held from 1947 to 2022, and this was has first engagement with the association and its members.

Representatives of The Argylls’ Regimental family including veterans, serving members of Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion and 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, together with members of the affiliated Canadian Regiments – The Argylls of Canada and The Calgary Highlanders – and Argyll elements of the Army Cadet Force were also present.

Queen Elizabeth was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s) by her father, King George VI on her 21st Birthday in April 1947. She held the position until The Argylls were amalgamated with the other Scottish Infantry regiments to form The Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006.

Her Late Majesty then became Royal Colonel of the 5th Battalion, which perpetuates its links with The Argylls, and Colonel-in-Chief of the new Regiment.

Over 75 years, Queen Elizabeth visited The Argylls on over 90 occasions. The Late Queen’s last visit was to open the refurbished museum at Stirling Castle in June 2021.

Today, Balaklava Company, 5 SCOTS remains the successor to The Argylls’ tradition. They had the distinction of providing the Guard of Honour when, following Her Late Majesty The Queen’s death in September 2022, the cortège departed Balmoral for Edinburgh. They then provided the pallbearers for the Laying-at-Rest at St Giles’ Cathedral.

To recognise the tree planting and His Majesty role as association patron, he was presented with a cromag – shepherd’s crook – traditionally carried by Argyll officers.