Royal Visit to the USA

[Scotland Forever]

I really like the colors of his kilt and the hose

[ABG0819]

I really like the colors of his kilt and the hose

I like it too. Does anyone know what the tartan is???

[Brian K]

I like it too. Does anyone know what the tartan is???

HRH The Earl of Wessex is wearing the Balmoral tartan which is reserved for the exclusive use of the Royal family and those who the Queen allows to wear it. It was designed by HRH Prince Albert, consort to HRM Queen Victoria.

[DenRugger01]

Hmm I couldn't help but notice the color of his leathers. Is he mixing browns and blacks? Must have taken a queue from The Prince Of Wales.

[JSFMACLJR]

Hmm I couldn't help but notice the color of his leathers. Is he mixing browns and blacks? Must have taken a queue from The Prince Of Wales.

Yes his sporran is brown, his shoes black. All perfectly correct, and very traditional. I do not think he learned this from his eldest brother.

[Chas]

It is my belief that this mixing of black and brown stems from Prince Philip. He took up carriage driving soon after his marriage to Her Majesty. The horses and carriages being then available to him. The vast majority of the Queen's horses are brown and the way of it is that brown horses have black (or very, very dark brown) manes and tails.

All competitors in carriage driving have livery colours for their grooms (1 sitting next to the driver and 2 hanging on at the back). If memory serves, there was some controversy at the time as to what livery colours Prince Philip could or should use. He couldn't use the Royal livery colours, so he had to opt for something else. Nor would it have been acceptable for him to use the Danish or the Greek Royal livery colours.

In the end the livery colours were chosen as Black and Brown - to match the horses. I have seen Prince Philip driving at the Championships at Sandringham, with his head groom and two hanging grooms wearing a mixture of brown and black. If I am remembering correctly all the browns were the same shade - not a mixture of tans and ox-blood and light and dark.

Regards

Chas

[wildrover]

He took up carriage driving...

Had to YouTube that one...I had visions of Cinderella, mixed with Baja, barstool racing, and Ben Hur.

Interesting sport. Looks like fun.

Jock et al, don't worry overmuch about what people think or say over here . Some people seem to yearn for bygone days of colonies and royal fealty, others go to highland games and sling over their backs what appear to be ornate BBQ spits, there are still others with a near Rastafarian or cargo-cultist take on highland attire, tradition, and the British royal family, but I think most just see a visiting notable who's giving a nod to a cultural gathering focused on a culture he may, in part, represent.

No big deal. I could get my kilt knotted up around my landing gear every time someone says "The Colonies", but...is it that big a deal? A bit of unthinking insensitivity or misplaced romanticism isn't going to stop me from downing a beer with the next guy, so long as he keeps it real . Granted, I might look sideways at somebody who's adopted a faux-Brit accent in their "great kilt", complete with BBQ spit, huge furry boots and blue paint...but they are (fortunately) the exception.

So, you all really figure the guy is going to show up? It'd be cool if he did...tho I have to admit, I'm skeptical.

-Sean

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

It is my belief that this mixing of black and brown stems from Prince Philip. He took up carriage driving soon after his marriage to Her Majesty. The horses and carriages being then available to him. The vast majority of the Queen's horses are brown and the way of it is that brown horses have black (or very, very dark brown) manes and tails.

All competitors in carriage driving have livery colours for their grooms (1 sitting next to the driver and 2 hanging on at the back). If memory serves, there was some controversy at the time as to what livery colours Prince Philip could or should use. He couldn't use the Royal livery colours, so he had to opt for something else. Nor would it have been acceptable for him to use the Danish or the Greek Royal livery colours.

In the end the livery colours were chosen as Black and Brown - to match the horses. I have seen Prince Philip driving at the Championships at Sandringham, with his head groom and two hanging grooms wearing a mixture of brown and black. If I am remembering correctly all the browns were the same shade - not a mixture of tans and ox-blood and light and dark.

Regards

Chas

Actually, HRH Prince Phillip's carriages are painted in the older livery colours of murrey and black (the previous livery colours being lake and black and the present livery colours being more of a claret and black). Murrey is a sort of mulberry colour, which under certain light conditions appears to be almost brown. HM The Queen Mother favoured the older murrey on the sides of her Daimler cars during the whole of her lifetime.

Meaning no offense, but I somehow suspect that the wearing of black shoes and brown sporrans probably pre-dates Edinburgh's having taken up carriage driving.