King Charles appeared in high spirits this afternoon as he attended his first Mey Highland Games since becoming monarch.
The 74-year-old royal family wore a Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan kilt to attend the annual event in the village of John O’Groats in Wick.
The monarch combined the traditional kilt with a green tweed jacket and matching waistcoat and a pair of thick red woolen socks.
Arriving for the event, the king – holding a crook used to herd sheep – took the time to shake hands with members of the public.
After this, Charles took a front row seat in the marquee to watch the competition – which was founded in 1970 and is said to be the smallest Highland Games – get underway.
King Charles pictured himself happily shaking hands with the crowd when he arrived at the Highland Games in Wick this afternoon
Once seated in the Royal Box, King Charles – who last month received Scotland’s ancient symbols of power at a historic thanksgiving service – donned his sunglasses and gleefully sipped a glass of whiskey while watching some of the traditional dances.
The Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan is a variation of the Royal Stewart tartan, which has its origins in the House of Stewart, according to the Scottish Register of Tartans.
King Charles has been pictured wearing the tartan on several occasions over the years, including to watch over the Queen’s coffin in September 2022.
There are over 60 Highland Games in Scotland each year, but the Braemar Gathering, held every September, was a particular highlight for the late Queen.
Last year, Her Majesty was unable to attend the event due to ill health, which meant Charles had to replace his mother at the last minute.
Earlier this week, King Charles opened eco-friendly local business 8 Doors Distillery in nearby Wick.
Charles spends the first week of August at the Castle of Mey in Caithness, the former home of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, before being joined by his wife at Birkhall.
Palace sources told the Daily Mail this week that there are no plans to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Queen’s death on September 8.
The monarch, 74, sat in the Royal Box and watched a traditional dance before the games started
King Charles happily provided a glass of whiskey and held his crook, who is used to herd sheep
King Charles wore a kilt in Prince Charles Edward Stewart’s tartan to attend the annual event in the village of John O’Groats
The 74-year-old monarch is pictured talking to members of the public at the Mey Highland Games, near Mey Castle
People imagined taking part in the Caber throw at the Mey Highland Games in Scotland this afternoon
Pictured: Teams fell over in the mud during the tug-of-war at the Mey Highland Games
The monarch paired the traditional kilt with a green tweed jacket and matching waistcoat and a pair of thick red woolen socks
King Charles donned sunglasses as the weather took a turn in Wick this afternoon
King Charles pictured himself watching the Highland Games in September 2010 with his late mother Queen Elizabeth
His Majesty is expected to spend the day quietly contemplating the moment at Birkhall, his home on the Balmoral estate.
While several members of the family have come and gone from Balmoral in the usual way for the summer holidays, Their Majesties will be spending September 8 ‘quietly and privately’, as Queen Elizabeth always did on the anniversary of her father’s death, they stressed.
Queen Elizabeth always spent the anniversary of her late father, King George VI, privately at Sandringham.
Among the extended Windsor clan that will reside at Balmoral this year are the Prince and Princess of Wales with George, Charlotte and Louis; the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their teenage children, Louise and James; Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, along with her son Peter Phillips and daughter Zara Tindall, both with their brood; and Charles’ cousin, Lady Sarah Chatto.
Charles continues a tradition by attending the Mey Highland Games as his grandmother used to attend annually before her death in 2002.
The Queen Mother had close connections with Caithness following the purchase of the Castle of Mey in 1952 and became a patron of the games soon after.