William and Kate in Scotland - Why she wore a tartan scarf

In her first public appearance as Countess of Strathearn on 5 July 2012, Kate Middleton wore a scarf made from Strathearn tartan, a tartan with a long history and royal associations. 

History of the Strathearn tartan

The Strathearn tartan was first created in 1820 and was worn by the Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria, who was the Duke of Strathearn and Colonel of the Royal Scots Regiment. The Duke sent a sample of the tartan to Wilson's of Bannockburn for 'dressing the royal corps' and it has since been adopted as the tartan of the Comrie Pipe Band. The Strathearn is one of dozens of tartans with royal associations, including the Royal Stewart, the Rothesay Hunting.

The Balmoral tartan, which can only be worn with the permission of the Queen, was designed by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, in 1853 and nowadays, is worn only by members of the royal family and the Queen's personal piper.

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