The monarch awarded the tug of war trophy to the winning team and looked especially delighted by a group of young dancers
King Charles is spending another summer in Scotland.
On Aug. 3, the British monarch, 75, stepped out at the Mey Highlands Games in Edinburgh, an annual celebration of the culture and talent of the North Highlands. The event was first held for the Queen Mother’s 70th birthday in 1970, and King Charles’ grandmother enjoyed it so much that she encouraged them to make it an annual gathering.
King Charles sported a traditional kilt, as he often does during visits to Scotland, for the outing at the John O’Groats Showground, where he took a front-row seat under a tent to watch some performances. He and the rest of those gathered seemed especially delighted by some young dancers in colorful kilts and matching knee socks.
The sovereign, who is chieftain of the games, also watched traditional Highland sports including the hammer throw, sheaf toss and stone put. The finale of the event was the tug of war competition, and King Charles presented the trophy to the winning team.
“A wonderful day at the Mey Games!” the royal family’s official social media pages captioned event photos
The following day, King Charles wore another kilt as he attended the Sunday service at Canisbay Church in Caithness near the Castle of Mey.
The King resumed public-facing royal duties in late April after spending several months working largely behind the scenes amid his cancer diagnosis. He was eager to return to a regular schedule, telling people during an outing that he was glad to be “out of my cage.”
It’s likely that King Charles will spend most of the remainder of summer in Scotland, following the British royal family’s longstanding tradition of taking a break from the spotlight in late August. He has a home on the Birkhall Estate, and the royals gather annually at Balmoral Castle for activities like hunting, fishing and horseback riding.
Since becoming the monarch upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022, King Charles has kept up the tradition of heading to Balmoral in Scotland. The history-making Queen traveled to the private 50,000-acre estate each July and ensconced there until October. There, she balanced work and play, continuing to receive her famous “red boxes” full of documents daily while spending quality time with loved ones.
“She deserved that time,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith previously told PEOPLE. “Balmoral has always been a place of rejuvenation and reflection. She has been going there since she was a baby.”
“It’s where Prince Philip proposed and where she had her honeymoon. It’s a place bursting with memories,” the author added.
