my first thought when I see someone in an Army kilt is "Oh, look at the silly sod in surplus"..unless he's a current or ex soldier (and if you've been 'in', you can tell one another - in any order of dress - from a long way off) in which case I think "oh, that's allright then" - I remember one CO of mine chiding me for wearing my MacDonald kilt at a 'do' in the Mess, because I was now a Seaforth and that was now my family tartan! Advice that I'm still giving to new soldiers 30 years later....

All of the Highland and Lowland Regiments initially were authorised to wear the Government sett, which they later 'differenced' by adding overstripes. Permission was not sought -- they just did it.

The Royal Regiment is the latest (unhappy) chapter in the history of the regiments - but it's not the last chapter.

The quote most relevant to our cause (both in Scotland and the 16 kilted Regiments in Canada) is from the book "Tunes of Glory":

"A soldier does not need arms to fight with, or legs to run with, as much as he needs teeth to hold on with"

Cabar Feidh