Badge Instead of Kilt Pin?

[Egerland]

Looking over pictures of a kilted King Charles III: it seems he often wears a round badge instead of a kilt pin. Hard to tell, but it looks like a clan badge.

Any thoughts?

[Bruce Scott]

See post #23 here:
https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/...23/index3.html

[Jock Scot]

I can't see the badge clearly, but it probably has the connection to the Balmoral Estate. Personally, I cannot say that I like the look, the silver military style blanket pin, that he often wears is a much better look to my eye. However, there may be a very good reason why he is wearing that badge that we are not privy too.

[Troglodyte]

The badge The King wears is this -

download.png

It is the sybolic Honours of Scotland, and represents the Crown, Sword of State and Sceptre, which might be called the tools of the trade for the monarch. In other words, they allow the monarch to carry out the duties of the Crown, which are the leadership of the people, defence of the Realm, and to see that good government and impartial justice is done. They are shown being held by a lion, the heraldic crest or identifying symbol of the nation.

The actual crown, sword and sceptre may be seen at Edinburgh castle, and in public when they get paraded for all to see as part of official government business.

These are what the monarch is presented with at their coronation, and so for The King to wear them as a badge within a circlet (not a strap-and-buckle as is usually seen with clan badges and the like) shows all who see it that they are his property and so confirm his status and authority.

As with clansmen's crests within a strap-and-buckle, which is the chief's own crest that is featured atop the helm on his arms, the crowned lion with sword and sceptre forms the crest in the Royal Arms of Scotland.

And, just in case anyone is wondering, no, you cannot buy a crowned lion badge and wear it as The King does..!

But many like to wear a clan badge as a kilt-pin in the same way, and that's quite acceptable.

[OC Richard]

The King's kilt pin has Victorian feel to it for me.

One of the many interesting aspects to The Highlanders of Scotland portraits is that few men are wearing kilt pins, and most of the kilt pins which are seen are essentially smaller versions of their round Clan bonnet badges.

The thin vertical sword, dirk, axe, etc kilt pins seem to start taking off after 1900.

BTW there is one pipe band, Boghall & Bathgate, who wears their same fullsize bonnet badge as a kilt pin as well.



To me it just looks too big. Carrick did make those Clan badges in three different sizes and I think the middle size would make a better kilt pin than the big Glengarry size that Boghall uses.




The biggest size was exactly right for a Glengarry.

The middle size was exactly right for a Balmoral.

It used to be common to see pipe bands wearing a mix of the two sizes on their Glengarries, or the whole band wearing the Balmoral size.



The small one seemed to be intended as a lapel pin.

[Troglodyte]

I should add...

The Honours of Scotland lion crest is that used by the Balmoral Highlanders, so The King's kilt-pin is most likely one of those, or the original that the BHs' badge is copied from.

Here is what it looks like in detail -

images.jpg

Using a strap-and-buckle clan badge as a kilt-pin is nothing new, although not often seen.

I stumbled across one of my own clan badges in an antique shop, several decades ago. Being under-sized, it is too small for use as a bonnet badge, and too large for a lapel pin - but is perfect on the kilt and I have used it that way ever since.

Being hallmarked silver from early last century, the quality is excellent and a good alternative to the targe-and-claymore or crest-and-claymore style pins that are so commonly seen.

BHs' circlet pins occasionally come up for sale, but command high prices as you might imagine.

[Troglodyte]

And how about this one as a bonnet badge...

Glengarry-badge.-Highlanders-Scotland-uniform-.jpg

The strap-and-buckle surround would be quite acceptable for general use, as, in heraldic symbolism, this shows that the wearer is in the service of, or a follower of, the possessor of the crest displayed. A loyal subject of the Crown, in other words.

Disloyal subjects and colonial rebels ought to go for other options, ha, ha, ha..!

[OC Richard]

So I just looked over the 56 kilted men in The Highlanders of Scotland (late 1860s) and it looks like only 5 are wearing kilt pins.

I have loads of Victorian photos and it's the same story there, kilt pins just weren't popular then.

Interestingly, of the five kilted Highland regiments that survived the 1809 cuts only one, the 92nd Foot (Gordon Highlanders) adopted kilt pins.

Anyhow here are the four clearly visible kilt pins in THOS. As you can see one is, in effect, a miniature Clan bonnet badge.

Two (one circular, one oval) appear to be penannular style pins.

Remembering these small round kilt pins is what made the King's pin look "Victorian" to me.

[Hauge]

Ain't sharp at all. But might be to some help?

KingC_pin.jpg

Also believe it's the symbolic Honours of Scotland, in form of the Bonnet badge "Troglodyte" posted.

[RGM1]

And how about this one as a bonnet badge...

Glengarry-badge.-Highlanders-Scotland-uniform-.jpg

The strap-and-buckle surround would be quite acceptable for general use, as, in heraldic symbolism, this shows that the wearer is in the service of, or a follower of, the possessor of the crest displayed. A loyal subject of the Crown, in other words.

Disloyal subjects and colonial rebels ought to go for other options, ha, ha, ha..!

To that point, I wondered about wearing the strap and buckle of a clan to which I claim a connection, however, did not claim any allegiance to the clan head. Rocky said it was unlikely I would be anywhere it was a consideration. Fast forward to now, another related group is working to gain recognized clan status and I am interested in attending the founding meeting in Scotland where this becomes official. I take oaths and such seriously. Am I over thinking this?