HM The Queen officially opens Stirling's Royal Palace

HM The Queen accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh officially re-opened the Royal Palace at Stirling Castle yesterday. Security was tight and the castle was closed to the public for the duration of the visit. My car was even thoroughly checked by a sniffer dog before I could gain access to the esplanade.














On arrival, HM The Queen was presented with the keys to the castle before being shown round the ground floor by Ruth Parsons, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland.

Technically the shoot was quite challenging as we were told that flash was to be used sparingly, if at all and some of the rooms in the palace were pretty dark.










HM The Queen unveiled a plaque carved from oak to commemorate her visit before sitting down to lunch with invites guests in the Great Hall.

Children from the local Raploch area provided entertainment.










HM The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh appeared to enjoy their visit to the Castle and it was all smiles as they left.

Click here for the Stirling Castle website.