Gala at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, 1961

The Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara, George VI Sapphire Parure and Prince Albert’s Sapphire Brooch) and the Duke of Edinburgh joined thousands of spectators to view a spectacular Beating Retreat Ceremony in the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on this day in 1961 (the same day as their birth of their future daughter-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales), during Holyrood Week, their annual stay in Edinburgh. The Herald described the evening:

On the evening of Saturday, July 1, 1961, several thousand people gathered in the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, with many others crowded onto the slopes of the adjoining Holyrood Park, to watch a special show put on for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The display included the military bands of the Royal Horse Guards (the Blues), the Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, the RAF Regiment, and the massed pipe bands of Edinburgh City Police and Edinburgh T.A. battalions.

Displays of dancing were given by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS) and members of the Scottish International Highland Dance team; the community singing was led by a choir of 800 school pupils and representatives of other city choirs.

At the end the Queen, wearing a white mink stole over a royal-blue silk evening gown, stepped into the forecourt and was introduced to several of the Scottish country dancers.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also saw a Beating Retreat Ceremony during their visit to Scotland a few weeks ago, and the Queen is currently staying at the Palace of Holyroodhouse!

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One thought on “Gala at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, 1961

  1. Yet another unknown event to me! I wonder if I will ever manage to complete the list of gala engagements attended by the Queen during her reign. Probably not – because they were many, sooo many. If only we had half of those today 🙂 And it’s nice to read from these events in the “olden days” that the Queen did wear coloured dresses and not just white. It must have matched so well with the Sapphire jewellery worn.

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