Quote Originally Posted by Pleater View Post
I saw the last part of a program on Balmoral on TV on Monday evening, and there was a fair bit about the way the kilt was revived by the interest of Queen Victoria, and tartan fabrics and carpets were ordered for the furnishing of the castle the Prince Consort designed for her. The impression given was that the Scots were glad to revive what they could of their scottishness for a queen who regarded herself a Stuart chieftain.

It was interesting to see that men competed in the dancing at Games.

I must see if it available to watch again.
The programme is on iPlayer here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mqg2c/Balmoral/ - if you want to watch the whole thing. It was interesting although much was just a re-hash of snippets from other programmes. It came across very strongly that the likes of Edward VII, and Edward VIII, or at least Mrs Simpson never really took to the place as neither did Princess Diana and the shot of Cherie Blair yawning was a real classic. There has also been speculation that Charles has discussed giving the whole place to the Nation if and when he takes over. Nearby Birkhall is his bolt-hole in the highlands of choice.
But enough of Balmoral and "Balmorality" as described in the programme. Of course anyone is at liberty to redesign anything according to their taste and requirements. I am sure that the lightness of a pleated garment together with cost savings of using less material is bound to be an attractive option for many, particularly in warmer climates. As to soldiers' kilts, knowing our Ministry of Defence and their notorious reluctance to spend money on the well-being and safety of our troops, which has been the subject of much media attention in recent years, penny-pinching of this kind comes as no surprise whatsoever.