The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Glamis Castle’s US flag adds new chapter to special relationship
Space links given further boost as Stars and Stripes displayed at Nasa
Glamis Castle’s stellar international reputation has enjoyed another boost in the unusual setting of Nasa mission control.
In the wake of a visit by the latest in a line of US astronauts to have forged a connection with the Angus landmark, a century-old Stars and Stripes from the late Queen Mother’s childhood home has gone on display in the Houston hub of America’s space operations.
The flag, thought to date from the 1900s and bearing just 48 stars instead of the usual 50, was spotted in an attic room of the Earls of Strathmore family home by astronaut Doug Wheelock during a private tour some years ago.
Doug, who flew on the space shuttle Discovery, was intrigued to find the historical item so far from home and his fascination led to the transatlantic loan by the standard’s owner, Mary, Dowager Countess of Strathmore.
During its long history, the flag has
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I think I must be the only granny in Great Britain who’s had a call from outer space... MARY, DOWAGER COUNTESS OF STRATHMORE
flown over the capitol building of West Virginia and in Washington, as well as above Glamis when the G8 summit was held at Gleneagles in 2005.
The Dowager Countess said she was delighted to see it head Stateside again.
She said: “Unfortunately Doug didn’t get to take it to space, but it was in mission control, which is the next best thing and it is a really exciting addition to its story.”
In 2011, US Air Force colonel Alvin Drew called Glamis Castle during the shuttle Discovery’s final flight – but had to leave a message on the Dowager Countess’s answering machine.
“I was out at the time but I think I must be the only granny in Great Britain who’s had a call from outer space, which my grandchildren thought was pretty cool,” she said.
The Glamis links, which have been forged through the Tayside Space School and former Nasa security adviser John Smith, from Kirriemuir, will also see a special anniversary marked at the Angus attraction later this spring.
Retired astronaut Jim Reilly and his wife, Allison, are due to return to the landmark a decade on from being wed in the ancient chapel.
“I am so thrilled that they are coming back to Glamis where it all began for their tenth anniversary,” said the Dowager Countess.