The Duke of Kent has attended a Drumhead Service in the gardens of the Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh to mark the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The Queen is Colonel-in-Chief and The Duke is Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment.
Embed from Getty ImagesA Drumhead Service is a Christian Service that is traditionally held for Army personnel in the field of conflict when there is no access to a church. This service, on September 3rd 2021, was attended by veterans, Regimental Associations, and the family and friends of those currently serving.
The Queen was set to attend the service and travel to the event by helicopter from Balmoral, where she is spending her summer break. However, on September 2nd, Buckingham Palace announced The Queen would no longer attend the event due to a bad weather forecast that could disrupt her travel plans.
While she was absent, the Regimental Association chaplain, the Rev John Murdoch read a message on Her Majesty’s behalf: “You may have seen in the order of service that Her Majesty The Queen was due to be with us today. “With much regret, Her Majesty concluded yesterday that she would be unable to attend today’s service owing to predicted weather conditions for this morning which suggested travel disruption was likely. “Her Majesty sends her warmest good wishes to everyone here today from Balmoral, and her thoughts are with you all as you celebrate your 50th anniversary.”
Embed from Getty ImagesFifty years ago, in 1971, Her Majesty attended the formation of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in Holyrood Park, just next to the Palace of Holyrood. The Duke of Kent served as an officer in The Royal Scots Greys between 1955 and 1971.
In their 50 years, The Guards have served across the world including in Poland and the Baltic states in 2019. More recently, The Guards supported the NHS through the global health crisis, in particular, helping with testing and vaccination programmmes.
