Royal visit to the Isle of Skye

The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay today visited the Isle of Skye.

Their Royal Highnesses toured the island capital Portree, where they heard a performance by renowned Gaelic singer Robert Robertson, the frontman for folk-rock band Tide Lines, in front of the backdrop of Ben Tianavaig.

A gold medallist at premier Gaelic cultural event the Royal National Mod, he sang two songs in the language.

After the performance, The Duke and Duchess enjoyed fish suppers at the harbour from Portree fisherman Dan Corrgiall’s shop.

They were greeted by Lord-Lieutenant Joanie Whiteford at the start of their visit and given a guided tour of the town as they gained an insight into how the community is moving forward from the pandemic.

The visit began at Skyeskyns, where Their Royal Highnesses were shown around the only remaining commercial woolskin tanner in Scotland and presented with a sheepskin gift by the firm’s founding director Lydia Hartwell.

Their next stop was design shop OR, where they were met by owner Jen Pearson, her husband Andy Tait and their 10-week-old baby Laurie.

Ms Pearson, whose business benefited from a Prince’s Trust loan, thanked The Duke for the support.

Their Royal Highnesses were piped into Portree’s Somerled Square by the Drum Major of the Isle of Skye Pipe Band, Peter MacDonald, and young piper Archie MacLean as they greeted a crowd of wellwishers from Scotland, the UK and further afield.

Further stops included The Isle of Skye Soap Company, where owner Fiona Meiklejohn presented a gift of two soap boxes, and the Isle of Skye Distillers gin school, where His Royal Highness sampled some raspberry gin and spoke to co-owners and brothers Alistair and Thomas Wilson.

They ended their visit at the pier where they spoke with local councillors and first responders who played a vital role during the pandemic, before chatting to members of Portree RNLI crew, who have responded to 90 callouts this year.

The Duke and Duchess then headed to the north west of the island to visit Dunvegan Castle, the ancestral home of the Chiefs of clan MacLeod for 800 years and one of the oldest continuously inhabited castles in Scotland.

Their Royal Highnesses were shown improvements to the historic site since Hugh MacLeod assumed management of the MacLeod Estate in 2008

Hugh MacLeod said: “It was a great pleasure to welcome their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, to Dunvegan Castle and Gardens, and to have an opportunity to show them the fruits of all the hard work the estate staff and our dedicated team of external contractors have put in over the last 13 years.”