Plaid and the Throne: A Guide to Royal Plaids

Let's start with the best known of all Scottish tartans, Stewart Royal. Royal by name and royal by nature, the Royal Stewart tartan traces its origins back to the House of Stewart. There are stories of the tartan being worn by one of Bonnie Prince Charlie's supporters during the Jacobite rising in 1745 however this is yet to be proven so may, in fact, be one of Scotland's many mythical tales.

The widespread use of the tartan today is likely to originate from King George IV's visit to Scotland in 1822, George IV was the first reigning monarch to visit Scotland in almost 200 years so as you can imagine, it was quite the occasion! While George was still Prince Regent he became a fan of the novel Waverly by Sir Walter Scott which depicted a romanticised image of the Scottish Highlands, so in 1815 Scott was invited to dine with George, this must have gone well as a few years later Scott was granted the title of Baronet, becoming a Sir in the process. When planning his visit the now King sought advice from Scott who saw this as his chance for ancient Scotland to be re-born and for George to be presented as the new Jacobite King, his thinking being that by bloodline George was as much a Stuart as Bonnie Prince Charlie had been.

Having been persuaded by Scott that he was in fact a Stuart prince and should go all out, George ordered himself a full highland outfit including gold chains & assorted weaponry in what we now know as the Royal Stewart Tartan, all in all, this cost what would be equivalent to over £100,000 today! Many of the Highland Chiefs were concerned about the correct etiquette, and procedure for the visit so Scott produced a booklet outlining all of the events as well as the dress code, for the most part, this was to be a blue coat, white waistcoat, and white/yellowish cotton trousers. However, for the Highland Ball, the King stated that, unless in uniform, "no Gentleman is to be allowed to appear in anything but the ancient Highland costume". As a result, many of the lowland gentlemen went on a desperate search to find their Highland ancestry, no matter how tenuous in order to select an appropriate tartan & kilt for the event. The Scottish Tartans Authority said that this can be seen as the pivotal event when what had been thought of as the primitive dress of mountain thieves became the national dress of the whole of Scotland. They also summarise that as a result of the visit an increase in goodwill and a new-found Scottish national identity uniting Highlander and Lowlander in sharing the iconic symbolism of kilts and tartans & the pride of the Clan chieftains in their heritage was reinvigorated.

So who can wear the Royal Stewart tartan? Well, the tartan was adopted by Queen Victoria for the Royal Family and King George V made attempts to restrict its use for the Royal Family but this proved impossible due to its already widespread popularity. This remained the official tartan of Queen Elizabeth II and, technically speaking, was only to be worn with the express permission of the Queen herself. In reality, due to its popularity, it has become a universal tartan, which can be worn by anyone who doesn't have their own clan tartan. The Scottish Register of Tartans explained, "In the same way that clansmen wear the tartan of their chief, it is appropriate for all subjects of the Queen to wear the Royal Stewart tartan."

So who can wear the Royal Stewart tartan? Well, the tartan was adopted by Queen Victoria for the Royal Family and King George V made attempts to restrict its use for the Royal Family but this proved impossible due to its already widespread popularity. This remained the official tartan of Queen Elizabeth II and, technically speaking, was only to be worn with the express permission of the Queen herself. In reality, due to its popularity, it has become a universal tartan, which can be worn by anyone who doesn't have their own clan tartan. The Scottish Register of Tartans explained, "In the same way that clansmen wear the tartan of their chief, it is appropriate for all subjects of the Queen to wear the Royal Stewart tartan."

His Royal Highness, King Charles wears a number of different tartans, depending on the occasion. Read on to explore the different tartans he has been seen to wear and why:

Tartan Category: Clan/Family

Since then, it's not been particularly popular and is a special weave for the mills, although that may change following the global exposure provided by the King.

Tartan Category: Clan/Family

Stewart Royal isn't the only Stewart Clan tartan favoured by the Royal family, both the Stewart Dress and Stewart Hunting Variations have also been worn on many an occasion. There doesn't appear to be much history behind this particular variation, but that said Hunting tartans are always designed with a camouflage colour palette, featuring a strong base of green or brown with the occasional flash of a brighter colour. The Queen is said to have regarded this as her "off duty" tartan. Unlike Stewart Royal, it's always been tradition that anyone without a clan or district tartan of their own can wear the Hunting Stewart tartans.

Tartan Category: Royal

We spoke earlier about the unique rules and restrictions surrounding the Royal Stewart tartan and although this can be worn by all, the same can't be said for the Balmoral tartan which is quite possibly the most restricted of all tartans. The tartan was first designed by Prince Albert in 1853 and has been worn by every British monarch since Queen Victoria. Inspiration for the tartan was taken from the colours of granite in Aberdeenshire, where the Balmoral Estate can be found.

When a retailer requested permission to sell the tartan in 1937, Sir Ulick Alexander who at the time managed the finances of the Royal Household & Sovereign swiftly replied: “I write to inform you that the tartan that the King and royal family have adopted is purely personal and private to His Majesty and the royal family and can, in no circumstances, be worn by other people, or purchased by them from any source and cannot, therefore, be manufactured for general sale.” The ban is still in place and more recently a palace spokeswoman said: “The reigning monarch and other members of the royal family may wear the Balmoral tartan in accordance with the wishes of the sovereign.” The only person exempt from this longstanding rule is the sovereign’s piper, and instead of the tartan staff working within the Balmoral estate wear a grey coloured Balmoral tweed.

When a retailer requested permission to sell the tartan in 1937, Sir Ulick Alexander who at the time managed the finances of the Royal Household & Sovereign swiftly replied: “I write to inform you that the tartan that the King and royal family have adopted is purely personal and private to His Majesty and the royal family and can, in no circumstances, be worn by other people, or purchased by them from any source and cannot, therefore, be manufactured for general sale.” The ban is still in place and more recently a palace spokeswoman said: “The reigning monarch and other members of the royal family may wear the Balmoral tartan in accordance with the wishes of the sovereign.” The only person exempt from this longstanding rule is the sovereign’s piper, and instead of the tartan staff working within the Balmoral estate wear a grey coloured Balmoral tweed.

Tartan Category: District

Catherine & William aren't the only family members to have Scottish titles... Duke of Rothesay was the title of the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707, of the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1801, and now of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It's the title mandated for use by the heir apparent when in Scotland, rather than Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales, which are used in the rest of the United Kingdom and overseas. The title is named after Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. There are actually two variations of the tartan, the Duke of Rothesay tartan is predominately red with green stripes and theDuke of Rothesay Hunting tartan simply reverses the green and red, making it predominantly green. During Queen Victoria's reign, the tartan began to be worn by the royal family and was most likely in reference to her preference for the heir to the throne to use the title Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland.

Tartan Category: Clan/Family

Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 when James IV King of Scotland, deprived John MacDonald II of his ancestral lands, estates, and titles after discovering an alliance between John MacDonald II Lord of the Isles and Edward IV of England to conquer Scotland with him and the Earl of Douglas. In 1540 James V of Scotland granted the Lordship of the Isles to the heirs apparent to the Crown, meaning that in addition to being the Duke of Rothesay, Prince Charles (now King Charles III) is also the current Lord of the Isles. The Right Honourable Godfrey James MacDonald of MacDonald, 8th Lord MacDonald, current chief of the Name and Arms of MacDonald & High Chief of Clan Donald also wears the Lord of the Isles tartan as did his father who was the first High Chief of Clan Donald since losing the lordship of the Isles to the Crown.

Tartan Category: Military

It has always been a tradition that anybody without a tartan of their own may wear the Black Watch tartan which is also referred to as The Universal or Government Tartan. With historic links to the military, today the Black Watch tartan continues to be worn by the Royal Regiment of Scotland and guess what, the Queen was Colonel in Chief of the Regiment! In recent years the tartan has been a firm favourite of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. In her wardrobe since 2012, the Duchess has recycled her beloved Alexander MacQueenBlack watch coat for a number of occasions. Inspired by the Duchess we created our own easy to wear ScotlandShop Kate Coat available in either the Black Watch Modern tartan or your choice of over 500 tartans.

Tartan Category: District

Carrying on with our favourite Royal style icon, we move to the much brighter Strathearn tartan, first created & worn in 1820 by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, father of Queen Victoria. When Prince William & Catherine Middleton married they were not only bestowed the titles Duke and Duchess of Cambridge but also the Earl and Countess of Strathearn. Kate first wore the Strathearn tartan during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012 and then again a month later at her first public appearance in Scotland as Countess of Strathearn on 5 July 2012, During both occasions, Kate wore a scarfmade from Strathearn tartan. Strathearn was one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba but today is part of southern Perthshire. The ancient Gaelic name for a provincial ruler was mormaer, the equivalent of an English Earl and over time the title became more commonly referred to as the Earl of Strathearn. It looks as though Kate is only the second Countess of Strathearn, the first being Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn who gained the title way back in 1386.

Tartan Category: District

Prince Edward, the Duke of Windsor and former Prince of Wales became renowned for wearing his namesake Prince of Wales Check however the check was first adopted by his grandfather King Edward VII, also a former Prince of Wales, following a visit to Glenurquhart Estate. Having seen the check within the local fashion and by members of estate staff, the prince chose to wear the design so frequently that it's now more commonly known as the Prince of Wales Check than the Glen Check, Glen Plaid or Glen Urquhart Plaid.

Tartan Category: Fashion

Tartan Category: Commemorative

In 1977 Alistair Buchan designed the Holyrood tartan in celebration of the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The Palace of Holyrood is the official residence of the monarch here in Scotland. The tartan is actually an adaptation of the Royal Stewart which as we explored earlier is the Queen's official tartan. The original Holyrood tartan features a Navy blue base but has since been recoloured twice to commemorate both the Golden and Diamond Jubilee. My personal favourite has to be the Holyrood Diamond Jubilee with its purple base finished off perfectly with stripes of gold, silver and diamond white.