THE Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have led a small flotilla along a new canal as they visited one of Scotland’s most popular attractions.
The royal couple completed the last stretch of their journey to the Kelpies sculptures in Falkirk by barge – and formally opened the new canal section in the process.
Named after the monarch, the Queen Elizabeth II Canal forms the eastern gateway to the Forth and Clyde Canal and flows right up to the acclaimed horse-head sculptures.
Upon arriving to music from a pipe band at the 30-metre high landmarks, the royal couple met Kelpies sculptor Andy Scott.
The Queen smiled as she was introduced to two horses, Duke and Dan, who, as Clydesdales, are the same breed of horse which inspired Mr Scott’s landmark sculptures.
The Kelpies stand the same height as six and a half double decker buses & weigh around 600 tonnes. #holyroodweek #royalweek pic.twitter.com/CTVVjdwfn3
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 5, 2017
They then toured the inside of the “head down” Kelpie to view the engineering work involved in its construction and unveiled a plaque to open the canal section.
Large crowds of onlookers, including many children, waved Union flags as the royal party passed by, with an aerobatic display from the Global Stars stunt flying team taking place above the sculptures.
Mr Scott said: “The Queen was asking me about the history of the project and the relationship with the Clydesdale horses. The Duke was particularly interested in the internal structure, the engineering, the fabrication that went on.”
On the boat The Queen & The Duke learn all about the £43m Helix Project which has transformed underused land for public use. #holyroodweek pic.twitter.com/XMJ6sPMrQC
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 5, 2017
Of the sculptures, inspired by the horse-drawn barges of the canal in the past, Mr Scott said: “They’ve had an amazing transformative effect on the area with over 2.5 million visitors to see them (since opening in April 2014).”
Andrew Thin, chairman of Scottish Canals, said: “We are honoured that Her Majesty the Queen was able to join us to celebrate the naming of the Queen Elizabeth II Canal in her honour.
“The Kelpies and the Queen Elizabeth II Canal are helping put Falkirk and Grangemouth on tourists’ ‘to see’ lists the world over.”
In pics: The Queen set for series of royal engagements in Scotland
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe