Why so common?

[kilted redleg]

I wonder if RS being used as an anti-establishment way by the punk movement in the 70s played a role as well.

Kilted, this statement is one of the "legend" that I referred to in my post that Peter was kind enough to answer. By the 1970's KGVI was long dead having passed in 1952 [this year will mark 72nd anniversary of his passing on February 6th]. "Punk rockers" would often take a government symbol to use to show their distain for authority. Here's the "legend" I heard regarding KGVI and the RS tartan. The good king wanted to restrict the use of the tartan, but he had an "advisor" who was a childhood friend and retired colonel of the highland regiments. Now KGVI's real first name was Albert and his family nick name was "Berti" and while at Balmoral with this "advisor" told him of the plan to restrict the RS tartan and asked for his thoughts. The "advisor" replied " your majesty you can't restrict the RS tartan. I started as a boy piper and worked my way up to where I am today. The RS tartan is the only tartan that I know for pipers and if you restrict it what does that say about all the pipers who bravely wore into battle for the crown and paid the ultimate price, or the pipers who left service and went on to establish pipe bands and used the only tartan they knew to honor the memory of their regiments; much less old pipers like me who when they left were given a regimental kilt in that tartan and a military sporran as a "thank you for your service" by their mates. Are we supposed round up all these pipers who wear this tartan, it would be the death of piping for sure. Berti you want to restrict a tartan then restrict the Balmoral tartan, no one wears it but you royals." The good king thought about it a while and decided to restrict the Balmoral tartan instead.
That legend was told to me by a Scottish father of a friend who served in the HLI during WW 2.
My personal opinion is that "punk rockers" were a day late and a buck short when comes to the RS tartan.

[Patty Logan]

The good king wanted to restrict the use of the tartan, but he had an "advisor" who was a childhood friend and retired colonel of the highland regiments. While at Balmoral this "advisor" told him of the plan to restrict the RS tartan and asked for his thoughts. The "advisor" replied " your majesty you can't restrict the RS tartan. I started as a boy piper and worked my way up to where I am today. The RS tartan is the only tartan that I know for pipers and if you restrict it what does that say about all the pipers who bravely wore into battle for the crown and paid the ultimate price, or the pipers who left service and went on to establish pipe bands and used the only tartan they knew to honor the memory of their regiments; much less old pipers like me who when they left were given a regimental kilt in that tartan and a military sporran as a "thank you for your service" by their mates. Are we supposed round up all these pipers who wear this tartan, it would be the death of piping for sure. You want to restrict a tartan then restrict the Balmoral tartan, no one wears it but you royals." The good king thought about it a while and decided to restrict the Balmoral tartan instead.

Wow now that’s the kind of history I wanted to hear! 😍🤯

[Patty Logan]

Also how durable the design is! How the sett can be stretched and compressed and the colours can be changed to practically anything and you still end up with something attractive.

Wow! I can’t believe how many tartans have the same thread count as the RS Tartan

[figheadair]

Wow! I can’t believe how many tartans have the same thread count as the RS Tartan

That is but a fraction.

[SF Jeff]

Many years ago when I first got interested in my Scottish heritage, I asked my mom what our family tartan and was and without hesitation she said "Royal Stewart. My dad wore it, his dad wore it and his dad wore it..." etc. So my first kilt was RS, which I picked up new for $100 from WM Glen. The original customer had put down a deposit but never came back for it, and being an odd size the store just wanted to get rid of it. Fortunately it fit like a glove so I got a hell of a kilt for a hundred bucks.

Anyway, my first highland games and I'm proudly wearing my new kilt and I don't even get inside the gate when some guy comes up to me and in a not-so-nice tone, tells me "you can't wear that tartan!" Kind of got in my face. I don't take kindly to that kind of thing and wanted to tell him that we should step aside and "discuss" it, but because his wife and two young kids were with him, I politely told him that my mom said I can wear it and that was good enough for me. He didn't know what to make of that but still took a parting shot by telling me I was a "disgrace to the House of Stewart." Whatever that means.

I still have the kilt, it's worn in a few places and has a few moth holes, but it's my favorite.

[Father Bill]

It takes a real nitwit to think he's been appointed a Kilt Kop, and you met one.

RS is often even considered by some to be a 'universal' tartan, whatever that means, and it's certainly one of the most commonly used for pillows, dog collars, shortbread tins, and, yes, kilts.

How did the idiot even know that you weren't of royal blood if that's the test he wanted to apply.

Sounds as if you handled it well.

[AmateurKiltsmen]

I’ve always assumed it’s because it was Q.E II’s favorite tartan and is also worn by the RSDG

[OC Richard]

An advisor who was a retired Colonel of the Highland regiments replied,

"Your Majesty, you can't restrict the RS tartan. I started as a boy piper and worked my way up to where I am today. The Royal Stewart tartan is the only tartan that I know for pipers....

I can't imagine how this quote could have come from a person who has spent time with Highland Regiments.

He didn't know about the Seaforth Highlanders? The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders? The Gordon Highlanders?

None of those pipers wore Royal Stewart.

Actually the Black Watch were alone amongst the kilted Highland regiments in having pipers in Royal Stewart until 1943 when The Cameron Highlanders switched from their traditional Cameron of Erracht to RS.

If that fellow had been a boy piper at Queen Victoria School we wouldn't have worn Royal Stewart there either, but Hunting Stewart.

[figheadair]

Here's the "legend" I heard regarding KGVI and the RS tartan. The good king wanted to restrict the use of the tartan, but he had an "advisor" who was a childhood friend and retired colonel of the highland regiments. Now KGVI's real first name was Albert and his family nick name was "Berti" and while at Balmoral with this "advisor" told him of the plan to restrict the RS tartan and asked for his thoughts. The "advisor" replied " your majesty you can't restrict the RS tartan. I started as a boy piper and worked my way up to where I am today. The RS tartan is the only tartan that I know for pipers and if you restrict it what does that say about all the pipers who bravely wore into battle for the crown and paid the ultimate price, or the pipers who left service and went on to establish pipe bands and used the only tartan they knew to honor the memory of their regiments; much less old pipers like me who when they left were given a regimental kilt in that tartan and a military sporran as a "thank you for your service" by their mates. Are we supposed round up all these pipers who wear this tartan, it would be the death of piping for sure. Berti you want to restrict a tartan then restrict the Balmoral tartan, no one wears it but you royals." The good king thought about it a while and decided to restrict the Balmoral tartan instead.
That legend was told to me by a Scottish father of a friend who served in the HLI during WW 2.

This definitely belongs in myth box.

[AFS1970]

I never really got the whole Kilt Kop thing, but I can't imagine coming up to a stranger at the entrance to an event and saying something like that. When out and about kilted, I usually have better things on my mind. I think if I saw someone in a tartan that I recognized and somehow felt I had a sort of ownership to the pattern, I would be more inclined to greet the stranger as a friend. Perhaps the best example would be the XMTS tartan, if I have mine on, and I run into the rabble it is certainly not a time to check credentials, more likely a chance to share a pint or a dram.