Last stop for the Queen’s Baton

TheT Queen’s Baton Relay visited the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the final stop of its Scottish tour ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Team Scotland medallists LLynsey Sharp and Hannah Miley carried the baton down the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade and took the royal salute before the start of the show yesterday.

The baton is making a 142,915-mile journey over 388 days ahead of the Gold Coast 2018 event, travelling t h rough Af r ica , t he Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

It left Buckingham Palace in March carrying a message from the Queen.

It will arrive in Australia in December and travel the countr y, f inishing its journey at the Opening Ceremony on April 4.

Lynsey, who won a silver medal in the 800m at Glasgow 2014, carried the baton first before passing it to her team-mate.

She said: “It is a massive honour to carry the baton and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I miss Edinburgh a lot. I grew up here going to the Tattoo and my school performed here so it is really special.”

Hannah, a double gold medallist in 2014’s swimming events, added: “I feel very proud and it is such a wonderful honour and I feel very lucky to have been chosen.

“This is the first time I have taken part in the Baton Relay which makes it quite special and to be the last batonbearer is really cool.”