Chas and Camilla honoured
PRINCE Charles and wife Camilla were presented with a replica sword of Robert the Bruce during their official opening of an art gallery.
The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay were shown a copy of the sword of King Robert I – an ancestor of the prince’s – on their visit to Aberdeen Art Gallery.
They then unveiled the installation featuring the sword which marks the 700th anniversary of the granting of the freedom lands to Aberdeen.
Robert the Bruce has links to the Queen’s Scottish heritage.
She can trace her ancestry through James VI and I and his mother Mary, Queen of Scots, to Marjorie Bruce, wife of Walter Stewart, to her father King Robert, who led the fight to secure Scotland’s independence from England in the 14th century.
The official opening comes after the gallery reopened its doors in November 2019, following a four-year £35million refurbishment, subject to numerous delays.
Forced to close for a period during the pandemic, it is once again open and free to enter, housing three floors of exhibitions with an upstairs viewing platform with views over the city.
The couple then unveiled a plaque on the roof terrace to mark the official reopening.
Marie Lanaghan, trustee with the Art Gallery development trust, said: “It was a very intimate, lovely, official opening.
“We were so lucky to have His Royal Highness and Camilla, it was just brilliant.”
Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeen City, Barney Crockett, added: “It was a wonderful day.
“We just had a general conversation, and they were so lovely.”