A TARTAN designed at the King’s request, which will be used at Balmoral, has been lodged with the Scottish Register of Tartans.

The Balmoral Glen Gelder tartan, designed by the Scottish Tartans Authority, uses the specific colours and shades of the King Charles III tartan which the authority presented to the monarch last year.

The new tartan, announced as the King celebrates his 76th birthday, will be used for furnishings and staff uniforms at Balmoral and on a limited range of products that will be available to the public at Balmoral Castle next year.

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The pattern of the new design is based on a unique piece of rural Highland tartan discovered in Glen Affric and now in the collection of authority.

Dating from around 1500 to 1600 AD, it is the oldest surviving specimen of true tartan found in Scotland, the authority said.

The Balmoral Glen Gelder design is said to provide a link to cloth that most likely originated in the reign of James V, Mary Queen of Scots or, possibly, James VI and I.

Glen Gelder sits at the heart of the Balmoral estate, with its lower slopes lying close to Balmoral Castle while its upper reaches provide views of the dark, north facing corries of Lochnagar.

The Scottish Register of Tartans is administered by the National Records of Scotland.