By Graham Brown

PRINCE CHARLES yesterday told the village of Glamis his grandmother would have been proud of the new gates which have been created in her memory at the entrance to her Angus childhood home.

In a heartfelt tribute to his beloved gran and a generous speech towards the group which has delivered two special memorials in the late Queen Mother’s honour, the Prince of Wales spoke of how he misses her “every day” since her death in 2002.

His comments came in front of the Queen Mother Memorial gates at Glamis Castle where, on their first official visit to Angus together, Charles and his wife Camilla made it a day to remember for a crowd of more than 200 in the Angus village.

Welcomed by the pupils of Glamis Primary School, the royal couple arrived on schedule at noon, Charles in a Rothesay tartan kilt and Camilla wearing a Lord of the Isles tartan skirt and green jacket.

They were met by the Lord Lieutenant of Angus, Mrs Georgiana Osborne, and the Earl of Dalhousie, before being welcomed to Glamis by the Earl of Strathmore and his mother, Mary, Dowager Countess of Strathmore.

The royal couple spent time chatting and it was a special day for six-year-old Claire Phillips, chosen to present a posy to the duchess alongside fellow pupil Rory Cowan (12) and Glamis headteacher Jayne Ferguson.

The Prince of Wales was welcomed to the platform at the castle gates by David Bowes-Lyon, chairman of the trustees of Strathmore Estates and chairman of the Queen Mother’s Memorial Fund for Scotland.

Prince Charles said, “Like many here, I suspect, I miss my grandmother every day.

“I miss her vitality, her interest in the lives of others, her courage and determination, her perceptive wisdom, her calm in the face of all difficulties and her steadfast belief in the British people.”

He spoke of her “unstoppable sense of mischievous humour” and said he recalled her many impressive characteristics with “love, pride and gratitude.”

Charles said the physical project provided “a fitting memorial in a fitting family place to those qualities which were so beloved of my grandmother.”

“Although the setting of Glamis is not easy to add to, these gates provide a new entrance that my grandmother, I think, would have approved of.

“I congratulate all those who have worked so hard on these gates,” he added, making special mention of designing architect Lachie Stewart.

Turning to pipers who had fanfared the arrival of himself and the duchess, Charles said, “I am very pleased, as I know my grandmother would have been, to see serving members of The Black Watch battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland pay tribute to their old colonel in chief.

“Nothing could possibly give me greater pleasure or pride than to declare these memorial gates open,” said the prince.

Angus, Perthshire and Fife artisans took six months to build the gates in an initiative aimed at creating a new link from the Angus village to the castle via the impressive tree-lined avenue.

It is the first time the vista of Glamis, with yesterday’s spring snow-sprinkled hills of Angus beyond, can now been seen, and the stunning entrance has already been appreciated by visitors from across the world this year.

Glamis Castle general manager David Adams said, “We are delighted with this striking memorial—it is a true work of art, inspired, designed and created by Scots as an impressive monument to a remarkable lady.

“Not only will they give a warm welcome to our visitors from Scotland and across the globe and add a sense of arrival to the castle, they have also created a new public space and focal point in the village.”

Mr Adams continued, “Having spent much of her childhood at Glamis, the Queen Mother always had a strong affinity with the castle.

“She spent part of her honeymoon here, she visited Glamis with her family thereafter on many occasions and Princess Margaret was born here.

“It is therefore fitting that the Queen Mother should be remembered at Glamis in this way.”

The Queen Mother’s Memorial Fund for Scotland, launched in 2003 by former First Minister Jack McConnell, brought in more than £1 million in donations to create a brace of memorials.

In addition to the Glamis gates, the Queen Mother Memorial in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens was opened by the Queen in 2006.

The Glamis gates project was overseen by village architects Fred Stephen and Partners, and the magnificent stone gate piers were carved by Perthshire stonemason Gillian Forbes.

W. L. Watson & Sons from St Andrews carved the Bowes Lyon coat of arms and the Glamis crest, with Arbroath blacksmiths J. & J. Stewart creating the wrought iron gates. M. W. Stephens, of Blairgowrie, then made the Queen Mother’s coat of arms which features on the gates.