Last weekend, at Aberdeenshire’s historic Braemar Gathering festival, King Charles III made history by sporting a striking new tartan kilt specially designed in his honor.
The festival was a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Now King Charles III has taken over, attending for the first time as sovereign. It was undoubtedly the right place to debut his new tartan.
Regularly attended by the Sovereign and members of the Royal Family, the annual Braemar Gathering has been run in its present form since 1832.
Similar Gatherings at Braemar have taken place for even longer – since the days of King Malcolm Canmore, 900 years ago. pic.twitter.com/BLdwBplXzI
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 2, 2023
King Charles III’s tartan
Dubbed the “King Charles III Tartan,” it was designed by the Scottish Tartan Authority to commemorate the coronation.
Charles has long championed Scottish heritage, with royals attending the Braemar Gathering since 1848.
Joining Charles III were Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
Its design is inspired by the green, navy, and red Balmoral tartan, which dates back to 1850 and was worn by royalty.
Officially registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans, the new garment features the royal family’s distinctive green, blue, and red stripes in 100% Scottish wool by Lochcarron of Scotland in Selkirk.
The design includes a central motif of three stripes (one wide and two narrow), which is a feature of the royal tartans previously worn by Her Majesty.
By proudly wearing the eponymous tartan, King Charles has honored Scottish heritage on the world stage.
This appearance by King Charles marks the first official engagement since Prince Harry revealed in his new Netflix documentary series ‘Heart of Invictus’ that he had “no support network” after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.