Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

King and Queen impressed by crocheted crown during Selkirk visit

The royal couple went on an extensive walkabout meeting dozens of Selkirk residents who lined crash barriers around the town’s marketplace.

Tony Jones
Thursday 06 July 2023 11:26 EDT
Charles and Camilla view a crochet mailbox topper during a tour of the market square in Selkirk (Lisa Ferguson/PA)
Charles and Camilla view a crochet mailbox topper during a tour of the market square in Selkirk (Lisa Ferguson/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The King and Queen praised the hard work of a yarn bomber who decorated a post box with a crocheted crown to mark the coronation.

Charles and Camilla ended the monarch’s traditional week in Scotland by touring the Scottish borders town of Selkirk, where hundreds turned out for the royal visit.

The marketplace was full of stalls showing the goods of local shopkeepers and nearby was a huge crocheted version of St Edward’s Crown – the royal regalia used to crown Charles.

The King, who wore a kilt, touched the craftwork – covering a larger than normal red post box, which was the handiwork of Daphne Pratt, who knits and crochets with a group called the Souter Stormers.

The pensioner made the King laugh when she asked him: “Do you know a good home for a crown?”

She said afterwards: “The King said it was wonderful and the Queen was also impressed.”

The 82-year-old said: “It took me about three months to make – I got the plastic jewels from a charity shop.”

The royal couple went on an extensive walkabout meeting dozens of Selkirk residents who lined crash barriers around the town’s marketplace.

Charles and Camilla stopped to talk to shopkeepers standing behind the stalls, and they chatted to baker Stuart Young, 25, who had a selection of sweet treats on his table including a Selkirk bannock, a cake-like bread.

When the baker’s toddler son was handed a bannock to give to the King, he walked over and presented it to the Queen and Charles quipped: “He knows what side his bannock is buttered.”

The highlight of the visit was a display of an ancient tradition, known as the casting of the colours, where the standard of the Royal Burgh of Selkirk was expertly twirled around by Thomas Bell.

The performance takes place annually alongside the Selkirk Common Riding, when hundreds of men and women ride the town’s common land, a practice dating back centuries.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in