King Charles and Queen Camilla join minute’s silence at Braemar’s tribute to the Duchess of Kent

The King and Queen joined a minute’s silence held in memory of the Duchess of Kent.

The tribute took place at the Braemar Gathering, the famous Highland Games that has been attended by the Royal Family for over a century.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were at the annual event as they take in a final few days at Balmoral at a poignant time. Their Majesties will be at the Scottish residence for the anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II who passed away there on September 8 2022.

Charles III was at Balmoral at the moment his mother’s reign ended and his own began. He is expected to spend the anniversary in quiet contemplation at the home that Elizabeth II loved so much.

Ahead of that, His Majesty travelled to Braemar for its Highland gathering, the last major games of the season in Scotland.

It’s become famous not just for its royal support but for the wide range of events it puts on with tossing the caber and the tug of war among the most celebrated.

There was also hammer throwing and a hill race.

The King and Queen also enjoyed some displays of highland dancing as well as the music of a mass pipe band.

The Royal Family has enjoyed the Braemar Gathering since the 19th century. It was Queen Victoria who first visited the games with a trip recorded in 1848, soon after she had first discovered the area and made it a focal point for raising her growing family with Prince Albert.

Albert’s rebuilding of the originally small castle at Balmoral, which the couple bought, created a royal residence that became a refuge for Victoria after the early death of her husband in 1861. She spent many important moments there herself and was at Balmoral for the start of her Jubilee celebrations in 1887 when she became the first British queen regnant to mark 50 years on the throne.

From 1848, Victoria started the tradition of the reigning Monarch being patron of the Braemar Royal Highland Society and Chieftan of the Games.

Since then, the Monarch and their family have traditionally attended the Braemar Gathering which is always held on the first Saturday in September. One of Charles III’s last public appearances before his accession came at the Braemar Games on September 3 2022.

This year, there was another poignant moment for King Charles as he and Queen Camilla joined a minute’s silence in tribute to the Duchess of Kent who died on September 4 2025.

The King and Queen will attend the funeral of the Duchess at Westminster Cathedral on September 16. It will be the first public Catholic funeral for a senior member of the Royal Family in over 300 years.