The King has begun his summer holiday in Scotland.

07:39, Thu, Aug 6, 2026 Updated: 07:43, Thu, Aug 6, 2026

King Charles

King Charles is in Scotland (Image: Chris Watt/The King's Foundation/PA)

King Charles has brought a very special rose to one of his royal residences as he began his summer holidays in Scotland. Charles planted the King’s Rose at the Castle and Gardens of Mey in Caithness. The King spends the first week of August at the castle every year, coinciding with the birthday of his grandmother, the late Queen Mother.

It is not the first time the King has added to gardens. In August 2005, Charles and Camilla – then the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay – planted two sycamore trees at the front of the castle. The King’s Rose has also been planted at The King’s Foundation sister sites – Dumfries House in East Ayrshire and Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire.

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King Charles and his rose

King Charles and his rose (Image: Chris Watt/The King's Foundation/PA)

king charles

The Castle of Mey is in in Caithness (Image: Chris Watt/The King's Foundation/PA)

The Castle and Gardens of Mey were among the Queen Mother's beloved residences, which she purchased in 1952.

It is now managed and run by The King’s Foundation, which oversees a range of green spaces with personal significance to the King.

The Queen Mother typically spent three weeks at the castle in August each year, and the King, who has visited from a young age, has continued this tradition.

The Castle and Gardens of Mey will open to the public for tours from Wednesday, August 12.

It comes amid the joyous news that Princess Eugenie gave birth to her third child, a daughter, earlier this week.

The daughter of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, announced the news on Tuesday evening.

The couple’s latest addition to their family was born on Monday at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, weighing 6lb 9oz, and mother and baby are said to be doing well.

It is a rare occasion for a member of the Royal Family to have been born overseas, but Eugenie and Jack have a home and other connections in Portugal.