Royal tartan invented to mark Burns Night
It may sometimes be wondered given the level of dysfunction on show what the Royal Family are actually good at. One thing is the invention of tradition. Royal traditions have been regularly invented in recent centuries. While some are genuinely historic, mostly dating back to the arrival of French rule in 1066 even here there is a problem with the continuity because nearly every-one was broken during the Commonwealth period between 1649 and 1660.
A picture of King Charles 111 wearing a newly reinvented Royal tartan has been released to mark Burns Night 2025.
A new tartan was registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans and was used in marking King Charlie’s 76th birthday in the autumn of 2024. The Balmoral Glen Gelder tartan was designed by the Scottish Tartans Authority in 2023. The aim is to promote the culture and traditions of the Highlands and tartans.
The tartan will be used for furnishings and staff uniforms at Balmoral as well, obviously, in items on sale in the gift shop.
The design is reportedly based on an historic tartan design dating from 1500-1600, which is claimed to be the oldest specimen of tartan surviving.
The 2023-24 design provides a link to cloth that ‘probably’ originated during the reign of James V, Mary Queen of Scots or James V1 and 1. However inventing traditions can be complicated and its now claimed that the tartan dates back to 1850
In short it’s something of an invented tradition.
The Fletts dont have a tartan coming from Orkney but Clan Flett (with which I am of course associated-Google if you don’t believe it) has been creative and it is claimed that the Flett tartan is that of the McDonalds (Ronald excepted)
New photo of kilted King Charles released for Burns Night – BBC News
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