Queen and Prince William attend the Order of the Thistle ceremony
The Queen was joined by the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal at a special ceremony in Edinburgh yesterday.
She attended the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral at the end of a week of official engagements in Scotland.
The ceremony installed businessman and philanthropist Sir Ian Wood and Sir Richard Scott, the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, as new Knights of the Order of the Thistle. Hundreds lined Edinburgh’s Royal Mile in the sunshine to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family arriving at the cathedral wearing the Order’s traditional green velvet robes and white-plumed hats. A guard of honour was mounted at the cathedral door by the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen’s bodyguard for Scotland, while the band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland played in West Parliament Square.
The Royal Family were then joined in a procession by other members of the Order of the Thistle, including Lord Robertson of Port Ellen and Lord Steel of Aikwood.
During the ceremony, Sir Ian, best known for his work in the North Sea oil industry with the Wood Group, and Sir Richard, one of Britain’s largest landowners, took the oath of the Order before hundreds of invited guests. Sir Ian said: “I am really honoured by this personal recognition from Her Majesty the Queen.”