Buckie duo savour 'being part of history' at royal service
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TWO Buckie women had the opportunity to see first hand the pomp and ceremony of King Charles being presented with the Scottish crown jewels.
Alice Cowie got the surprise of her life when an invitation to attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on July 5 dropped through her letterbox out of the blue.
With the invitation allowing for one guest to accompany her, Ms Cowie chose long-time pal Heather McLean to head with her to the nation's capital for the historic event.
Looking back on the big day, Ms Cowie said: "It was just fantastic, seeing the King and Queen in such close proximity was delightful.
"We didn't get to see him receive the crown jewels as he and Camilla were sitting to the side of the altar table and a pillar was blocking our view. However, it was wonderful to be a part of history.
"I was at Edinburgh City Chambers prior to the main event where all the dignitaries and guests met before going across to the cathedral and being guided to their seats. It was great to see a mass of Scottish gentleman with all the different kilts from different clans and the ladies in their couture dresses.
"When I crossed from the chambers to enter the cathedral it was wonderful to see the large crowds line both sides of the Royal Mile.
"I thought the interior of St Giles Cathedral was beautiful, with the lovely stained glass windows and pillars.
"I was seated right next to the main aisle of the cathedral. When the King and Queen passed it was lovely to see them in close proximity. William smiled as he passed.
"It was an honour for me to have an invite to such a prestigious event and to share the day with my named guest, my friend Heather McLean was brilliant. We both enjoyed it immensely."
A slight mishap with etiquette was to see Kate making an unexpected revelation.
Ms Cowie explained: "Kate and I shared a funny moment, when I bobbed a curtsy and I gave a small wobble.
"She noticed and gave a laugh as she came towards me and she said, ‘I do that all the time’. I was happy we shared a funny moment together which I will never forget. Ladies, a lesson I learned that day – practise a curtsy with new shoes. They had just arrived on the Monday night – actually, I was beginning to panic that they wouldn't come in time – so I only had the chance to do a few practice curtsies before heading down.
"It made my day having the chance to speak to Kate, she has such a lovely, sweet voice. I thought Kate’s outfit stunning with her lovely cobalt-blue coat dress by Catherine Walker and matching hat/fascinator. I was pleased to see Diana’s ring worn by Kate.
"I wore a dress by designer LK Bennett Cayla Coral which I have seen the Duchess of Rothesay wear and I wore Ted Baker shoes with a hat fascinator by designer Rachel Trevor-Morgan."
The day also left an indelible impression on Ms McLean.
She commented: "It was an unforgettable day, I had a lovely time.
"We were seated right at the aisle near the entrance and got a great view of the royals swishing by and the TV cameras caught us, too.
"I couldn't believe it – there was me sitting in St Giles Cathedral at a big event like that. It made me feel really humble.
"It's the first time I've seen the royals up close. I was born in Ballater so we used to see them going around in their cars but never that close.
"I've got a lot of memories to take away."
She added: "I couldn't believe it when Alice told me about the invite.
"We're long-time friends and even if we don't see each other for quite a while, when we met again it's like we've never been away."
The Scottish crown jewels – also know as the Honours of Scotland – are the oldest crown jewels in Britain and comprise a priceless crown, sceptre and sword of state. King Charles was presented with a new sword named Elizabeth after the late Queen which was made by Scottish artisans. It was felt that the original sword of state, made in 1507, was too fragile to be used in the ceremony.
