Prince Charles says it is ‘hard to bear’ the cancellation of Scotland’s highland games over coronavirus

The Prince had coronavirus himself in April and the UK death toll now stands at 33,000

(Rex Features)

Prince Charles has said he is sad and frustrated to learn that most, if not all, of Scotland’s traditional Highland Games are to be cancelled for 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

At least 33,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the UK, and there have been 233,000 confirmed cases – including the Prince of Wales himself. He has now recovered.

As a result 50 out of 60 of the scheduled Highland Games events, which date back almost 1,000 years, have been axed, which the Prince describes as “hard to bear”.

The Prince, who is currently in residence at Balmoral with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, wrote a rare letter about the decision to cancel the games.

He wrote: “As patron of the Scottish Highland Games Association and someone who has had the joy of attending Highland games and gatherings since my childhood, it is incredibly sad and frustrating to hear that due to the current health pandemic most, if not all, games will be cancelled this summer.”

The 71-year-old normally favours the Braemar Gathering and Mey version of the games; the latter is normally held in late summer at the John O’Groats showground in the far north of the country.

“I have no doubt that the decision to cancel this season’s games will have been extremely painful for the officials, organisers and volunteers,” he explained.

The Prince highlighted the importance of the games to local communities, saying: “This wonderful community spirit has always been a vital part of the Games tradition, with its sense of gathering and being part of a culture which, for so many of our Games and families has lasted for generations. Even the thought of missing all this for a year is, indeed, hard to bear.

“Their absence over the year ahead will undoubtedly impact many lives, communities and economies all over Scotland. Nevertheless, God willing, the charm, character and history of Highland Games, and all those involved, will, I am sure, be brought back to life with perfect style in the years ahead,” he added.

The events are built around traditional Highland sports such as caber toss, tug o’ war and the hammer throw. Events also include dancing and music.

The Queen Mother was also a fan of the games, until her death in 2002, and would regularly attend Caithness becoming a patron of the games in the 1950s.

The Prince concluded his letter saying: “We must do our utmost in this most difficult of times to keep the Games alive in our hearts and spirits.”

In April, when the Prince was taken ill with Covid-19, his son Prince William said he was concerned the virus could be severe for his father.

“I have to admit at first I was quite concerned, he fits the profile of somebody, at the age he’s at, which is, you know, fairly risky, and so I was a little bit worried,” William said.

He also spoke about the ongoing isolation of his elderly grandparents, the Queen, 94 and Prince Phillip, 99, at Windsor castle.

“Obviously I think very carefully about my grandparents, who are the age they’re at, we’re doing everything we can to make sure that they’re isolated away and protected from this,” he said.