Toffs in tweed flock to Highlands, but what benefits do they bring?

The National

04-05-2025

We were both attending the wedding of the offspring of another second homer whose guests had variously arrived by helicopter and private jet. It's not the sort of small talk I'm used to and I was, to put it mildly, like a fish out of water.
My end of Tiree, specifically the coast closest to Coll, is known as Millionaire's Row. If the millionaires in question didn't know that before, and they happen to read The National, they do now. It's also known as the 'Dinner Party End'.
I recall my father being almost apoplectic one night as a helicopter conveyed someone's dinner guests and landed without permission on our land. I don't think he's got over it yet. Of course, nothing was ever said, because it never is. It's their world, and we are the supporting cast.
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My dad stewed and the lord, whose dinner party it was, remained oblivious.
Lords and ladies have been 10 a ­penny over the years, and for the most part, keep themselves to themselves. We're rather fond of them despite them choosing ­Tiree thanks to their association with the Duke under whose fiefdom we continue to reside.
It's not just Tiree that attracts that ­element of the population. The great, the good, and the wealthy have a long and ­loving association with the many parts of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and none more so than the royals.
The royal family's ties to the Highlands and Islands are woven through a ­tapestry of tradition, personal retreat, and the occasional mishap. The Queen Mother, seeking solace after King George VI's death, purchased the Castle of Mey in Caithness in 1952. She restored the once-derelict Barrogill Castle, renaming it and spending summers there until her ­passing in 2002. In 1996, she entrusted it to a charitable trust.
Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, ­acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852, remains a cherished ­royal residence. The Royal Yacht was often seen in Scottish waters over the years. King Charles' Scottish escapades include a 1987 stint as a 'crofter' in Berneray, where he immersed himself in local life, planting potatoes and cutting peat.
(Image: PA)
Earlier, in 1963, a youthful Charles caused a stir by ordering a cherry brandy at a pub in Stornoway, despite being ­underage. The charges against the licence holder and barmaid were dropped, and the hotel in question has the news story in a frame on the wall to this day.
In 1994, the King experienced a more serious incident when a jet he was ­piloting overran the runway in Islay during a ­landing attempt. Frances Shand Kydd, Princess Diana's mother, spent her later years in the Isle of Seil, 'embracing a ­quieter life' away from royal circles.
Now, before I go much further, I have been warned to behave myself on the grounds that many people I am close to are collectors of china and tea towels ­featuring more than one generation of Windsors.
I, on the other hand, couldn't give two hoots about the royal family, but I don't actively dislike them. They exist, and on balance – looking States-ward – I think I prefer them to a president, for the time ­being at least.
However, I am no respecter of pomp or pageantry, of titles, of class or frankly, of wealth. I most certainly have no truck with the concept of someone being 'in charge' by virtue of a quirk of birth. I have before now even been accused of being unfairly prejudiced against the well-heeled. That's probably true but I imagine that the well-heeled in question cope with my prejudice just fine.
For the last few weeks, my news alerts have been awash in headlines about ­William and Kate and their trip to Mull. Mull is the fourth largest of the Scottish islands and only an hour from Oban by boat, but that didn't stop the papers ­telling us about how Kate and Wills were escaping to a 'tiny, remote' island.
The long-awaited visit finally happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, ­occasioning another wave of loving (some might say sycophantic) headlines. The couple were, of course, carefully clothed in well-tailored tweed and muted check verging on tartan. The classic hunting and shooting set look with a Hebridean twist to make them fit in with the natives. They don't of course.
Instead it makes them look like they are on safari, through some sort of built-up nature reserve, peering at the local inhabitants with the same gentle interest usually displayed by an elderly naturalist.
Sometimes I play a David Attenborourgh-type commentary in my head as I watch these news reports.
'And here we see the upper-class ­predator observing the peasants. Already well-fed, their smile signals that they are no threat, and bedecked for the occasion in their best plumage, the prey becomes eager to please.'
I'll stop there. I can feel hackles rising around some breakfast tables …
In the interests of balance, royal visits – while they cost money, delay ferries and cause untold traffic chaos wherever they go – also bring with them a host of benefits.
In Mull, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, as they are known in Scotland (because the higher up the ladder you are, the more names you collect), spent time with any number of organisations and small businesses.
(Image: PA)
In Tobermory, they visited Aros Hall – a well-used community space that hosts everything from lunch clubs and toddler groups to ceilidhs. The hall is also home to the Community Fridge, which last year alone diverted over 60 tonnes of food from landfill. Their visit coincided with news of new investment via The Royal Foundation to support community spaces in Mull.
Aros Hall also runs the weekly ­Tobermory Producers Market at the ­harbour, where local food producers, crafters and artists showcase their work. The Duke and Duchess toured the ­market, sampling island produce and meeting the community.
On Wednesday, the pair joined the Mull and Iona Ranger Service at Ardura Community Forest – part of the Atlantic rainforest – to learn about conservation and early-years outdoor learning. The trip finished with a ferry to Iona, where they heard about the importance of reliable ferry links.
Whether they have any sway in relation to timetables is unknown, but their visit has ensured that Mull and Iona have been talked about on every news channel and in every paper. That kind of advertising is hard to get and not to be sneezed at. Hopefully it will give all of the organisations involved in the trip a boost.
There remains something distasteful, though.
I don't know if it's the fawning, the fashion, the fleeting bestowal of interest, the Highlands and Islands treated as a sort of safari, fondly remembered from a castle armchair. Maybe it's the privilege, the wealth, or just my own prejudice, but I struggle with the whole performance.
If only the island's hard-working ­organisations received this kind of ­attention year-round, without needing a royal fly-by.
Across communities like ours, the real work happens quietly – without fanfare, crowns or cherry brandies. Yet despite the wall-to-wall coverage, it's still the ­royals centre stage, and the locals ­playing the supporting cast.
It ought to be the other way around.