What a privilege it was for the village of Fowlis Wester to be the setting for a visit of some members of the Mounted Regiment of the Household Cavalry. Following their public duties in Edinburgh on 5th July when they were part of the procession escorting the King and Queen to the special Coronation Service in St Giles Cathedral, the Mounted Regiment took their horses to various locations across Scotland.
They arrived in Fowlis Wester from the Abercairny Estate on 11th July and exercised the horses on the moors to the north of the village which, as everyone knows, has its historic royal links. The Prince and Princess of Wales are known in Scotland as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn and with good reason. The title of Earl of Strathearn dates back to 1357 and to Robert Stewart, High Steward of Scotland, and it was passed down the ages until 1943 when Queen Victoria’s great-grandson Alastair Windsor, who was known as the 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, died. It was the late Queen who revived the title, bestowing it upon her grandson, William, in 2011.
I am sure the late Queen would have been delighted to see the Household Calvary in Fowlis Wester just as was the case for the locals who turned out to see witness this special occasion.
Whether it is the annual Trooping of the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament, jubilee parades, visits by foreign heads of state or, occasionally, a Coronation, the Household Cavalry in their splendid regalia are one of the most recognisable parts of any procession as the Sovereign’s mounted bodyguard. Their international prestige and horsemanship is second to none as is their discipline and commitment to public service.
I was once privileged to visit the Hyde Park Barracks which is home to the Royal Regiment and to see at first hand the care and attention that is devoted to the welfare of the magnificent horses which are the hallmark of the Household Cavalry. That care and attention was very much in evidence at Fowlis Wester.
