THE Queen was all smiles today as she stepped out with Prince Charles for a military parade at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Her Majesty, 96, wore a dusty blue coat and matching hat as she watched more than 300 officers and archers from the Queen’s Bodyguard for Scotland take part in the Reddendo Parade.
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The monarch recently reduced the number of engagements she carries out since experiencing episodic mobility issues.
But she appeared in good spirits today as she finished the third event she took part in during her visit to Scotland this week.
As the Queen watched from a chair at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Prince of Wales, known in Scotland as the Duke of Rothesay, waved to members of the parade, shaking hands with some of the archers.
He inspected the Royal Company with the Parade Commander, while the Queen received a Reddendo – a gift from officers and archers marking the bicentenary of the Queen’s Bodyguard for Scotland.
In centuries past the Reddendo presented to the monarch was a pair of arrows on a velvet cushion but on all three occasions the Queen received the gift it was replaced by more practical items – a brooch in 1952, a glass vase in 1976 and a pencil case in 2006.
The Royal Company of Archers act as the Sovereign’s ceremonial bodyguard for Scotland, a role first created in 1822 during a visit to Scotland by King George IV.
As Princess Elizabeth, the Queen became acquainted with the Royal Company during a visit to Scotland with her father, King George VI in 1937, when he inspected them at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Today’s event comes as the Queen marks Holyrood Week in Scotland, with Buckingham Palace describing the occasion as ‘a chance for the Queen and members of the Royal Family to visit various parts of Scotland , to meet Scots from all walks of life and to welcome thousands to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in recognition of their good work.”
Holyrood Week began on Monday with the Key Ceremony, where the Queen smiled happily as she clutched a bouquet of flowers.
She is symbolically offered the keys to the city by the Lord Provost before joining the Armed Forces for the Act of Loyalty Parade the following day.
And on Sunday, the monarch was seen walking unaided to catch her train.
Footage showed her Shift walking comfortably with her staff in her right hand and, in her left, the black handbag seen in her Paddington Bear Jubilee video.
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