King and Queen to visit Galashiels to see Great Tapestry of Scotland
The King and Queen are to visit Galashiels to see the Great Tapestry of Scotland, one of the largest community arts projects in the world.
The visit to the Scottish Borders is scheduled to take place on Thursday 6 July, and will coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Tapestry’s unveiling.
The Great Tapestry of Scotland details the story of Scotland over millions of years to the present day.
This includes moments from history and stories like St Margaret of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Victoria and her particular love of Scotland.
It also has poignancy to King Charles as the Tapestry visualises his mother's, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s, Coronation. It will be the King's first visit since he was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
During the visit, their Majesties will be introduced to Centre Director who will show them the gallery where they will meet just a few of the people from across Scotland who were involved in hand-stitching the Tapestry.
Author Alexander McCall Smith who came up with the idea of tapestry will also be in attendance, alongside fundraiser and tour manager Jan Rutherford, artist Andrew Crummy MBE and Alistair Moffat, a historian who decided which periods in Scottish history should feature in work.
Queen Camilla will add the final stitch to the new panel, reflecting Her Majesty’s fondness of embroidery.
Speaking ahead of The Royal visit, Sandy Maxwell-Forbes, Centre Director at The Great Tapestry of Scotland said: “It is the greatest honour to be welcoming The King and Queen to The Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels.
"I look forward to introducing them to some of the individuals who were instrumental in creating the Tapestry and one of the nation’s top-rated visitor experiences right here in Galashiels."
She added: “This marks a significant moment in the Tapestry’s extraordinary success story and, as the home of the people’s story of Scotland, we wanted to commemorate this by revealing a new tapestry panel dedicated to our recently crowned King and Queen.
"This will build on the Tapestry’s intricately detailed panels already dedicated to telling Scotland’s royal history.”
To celebrate the Royal visit The Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre will open to the public for free from 1pm to 5pm on 6 July.
The visitor centre, which is operated by the culture and leisure charity Live Borders, opened in Galashiels in August 2021. It is part of the town centre's regeneration project, and received investment from the Scottish Government through its Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, the Borders Railway Blueprint programme and Scottish Borders Council.
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