Royal fan hides in her mother’s skirt and blushes as she appears too startstruck to meet the King

A young royal fan appeared overwhelmed with emotion and too shy to meet the King in an adorable moment captured during the Monarch’s visit to Scotland. 

A young girl wearing a dress adorned with rainbows and clouds had been waiting to greet the Sovereign as he undertook a series of engagements in Bo’ness, Falkirk, this afternoon. 

However, as the Monarch approached, the young girl’s nerves took over and she shyly withdrew to her mother, hiding her head in her skirt. But she swiftly executed a perfect curtsy while the King wasn’t looking. 

The adorable moment was captured on camera as the king was shaking hands with officials and members of the public. 

The gracious Monarch took kindly took the young fan’s moment of shyness and laughed it off with her mother.   

The sweet moment showed the young girl expectantly waiting to meet the King, holding on to her mother’s hand. 

However, as the Monarch edges closer to the mother-daughter duo, the schoolgirl grows increasingly shy. 

She executes a perfect curtsy while the King is not looking, however, as he gets closer, she withdraws behind her mother. 

The King catches onto what the little girl is doing and gives her mother a forgiving smile, clearly amused. 

It comes as King Charles has arrived in Scotland for Royal Week as he marks a series of ‘firsts’ since he ascended the throne.

The monarch, 74, visited Kinneil House in Bo’ness, Falkirk, to meet representatives from charities including his own, The Princes Trust, as well as Cycling Without Age Scotland and Sustainable Thinking Scotland.

Dressed in a traditional tartan kilt and sporran, he was welcomed by crowds upon his arrival at the house, where he viewed the cylinder of the engine erected by famed Scottish engineer James Watt. 

The house – the historic home of the dukes of Hamilton – and nearby James Watt Cottage were the setting for the engineer’s secret development work on the prototype steam engine in 1765-73.

The King also planted a tree to commemorate the centenary of the estate becoming a public park and met charity representatives and beneficiaries.

Among those he greeted was Bo’ness Fair Queen, Lexi Scotland, who was wearing her ceremonial robes and a crown. 

The visit is the first of a series of engagements in Scotland, marking the first Holyrood Week since his coronation. 

There will be a special ceremony of thanksgiving at St Giles’ Cathedral on Wednesday, where Charles will be presented with the Honours of Scotland – the nation’s crown jewels.

Each year, the monarch traditionally spends a week based at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, known as Holyrood Week or Royal Week in Scotland.

He then went on to take part in his first ever Ceremony of the Keys as monarch at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

And this evening, the King and Queen Camilla, 75, will attend a reception on the Royal Yacht Britannia, to mark 25 years since her arrival in Edinburgh.

Charles and Camilla are also expected to visit the Great Tapestry of Scotland, seeing a newly stitched panel dedicated to the couple. 

The Ceremony of the Keys is keenly-observed tradition within the Royal Family in which the monarch is handed the keys to the city of Edinburgh each year.

It sees the monarch handed the keys of the city and welcomed to his ‘ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland’. 

In 2022, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II travelled to Edinburgh to be present at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for what was her final Ceremony of the Keys, despite winding back her official duties due to mobility issues.

The late monarch, who passed away in September 2022, and had a deep love for Scotland, was joined by Prince Edward and Sophie – who have since assumed the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh following her death. 

Dressed in a powder blue silk wool coat and dress by Stewart Parvin, paired with a hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, the Queen was symbolically offered the keys to the city by Edinburgh Lord Provost Robert Aldridge.

The tradition dictates that the monarch returns them, entrusting their safekeeping to the city’s elected officials.

The Guard of Honour was provided by the Balaklava Company, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, which was inspected by Edward on the forecourt of the palace during the ceremony.

Music was provided by the pipes and drums of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Meanwhile, the order of service has been unveiled for the event in Edinburgh this week to mark the coronation of the King and Queen.

Charles will be presented with the Honours of Scotland – the country’s crown jewels – during the service of thanksgiving and dedication at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

The service will feature centuries-old aspects of Scottish royal tradition along with new additions such as pieces of music written specially for the occasion, a psalm sung in Gaelic and the use of passages from the New Testament in Scots.

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, will preach the sermon and then provide a blessing to close the service.

Others involved will include violinist Nicola Benedetti, who will be among the musicians playing, and Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger who will carry the Elizabeth Sword which is being used in place of the Sword of State.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, will be among those at the event.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf will give a reading during the service, while others attending from the world of politics include Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton.

Rev Calum I MacLeod, minister of St Giles’, will provide the Welcome and Call to Worship at the start of the service.

He said: ‘It is a great honour and privilege to welcome their majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla to St Giles’ on such a joyous occasion.

‘His majesty has visited the cathedral many times and this will certainly be a fitting place to have a service of thanksgiving and dedication during his majesty’s first visit to Scotland following the coronation in May.

‘St Giles’ was probably founded by David I in around 1124 so there has been a strong royal connection since the beginning, nearly 900 years ago.’

The service will feature five new pieces of music commissioned to mark the occasion including Balmoral Flourishes, by composer Paul Mealor, which will be performed by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry.

A Gaelic Psalm by Mealor, written especially for the service, will be sung by Joy Dunlop, in recognition of Scotland’s linguistic heritage. There will also be contributions from other faiths and Christian denominations.

During the ceremony, the sceptre and crown from the Honours of Scotland will be presented to the King, along with the Elizabeth Sword.

This is a new sword specially crafted to be used in place of the current Sword of State, gifted to James IV by Pope Julius in 1507, which can no longer be used due to its fragile condition.

Dame Katherine will carry the Elizabeth Sword; Lady Dorrian, the Lord Justice Clerk will hold the sceptre and the Duke of Hamilton the Crown of Scotland.

Mrs Foster-Fulton said: ‘What a joy to welcome their majesties the King and Queen back home to Scotland and to participate in the national Service of thanksgiving and dedication on July 5.’

Before the service, a people’s procession of about 100 community groups will collect the honours from Edinburgh Castle.

The procession will then be escorted to the cathedral by the Royal Regiment of Scotland and its Shetland pony mascot, Corporal Cruachan IV, supported by cadet musicians from the combined cadet force pipes and drums.

Meanwhile, a royal procession will travel from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the cathedral, with members of the public lining the Royal Mile to view both processions.

Rehearsals were held on the Royal Mile and outside the cathedral on Monday ahead of the events later in the week.

A 21-gun salute will fire from Edinburgh Castle at the end of the St Giles’ service, before the royal procession travels back to the palace.

The Stone of Destiny will be in the cathedral during the ceremony, and there will also be a fly-past by the Red Arrows following the event.

Anti-monarchy campaign group Republic will be staging a protest along the procession route and said it expects a large turnout.

The organisation will also be collaborating with Scottish republican group Our Republic, which will be staging a rally outside the Scottish Parliament.

Graham Smith, Republic’s chief executive officer, said: ‘Everyone in the UK should have the right to choose our head of state – not be told it will be Charles. Charles does not represent the people of Scotland any more than he represents the rest of the UK.’