Meeting the King is a “great honour”, said a teenage charity campaigner at the annual garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
On Tuesday, thousands gathered to meet the King and Queen who were joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal in the palace gardens.
Many were clutching umbrellas, but the rain held off for the royal visit.
The annual garden party was held as part of Royal Week in Scotland where the royal family hosts guests who have made a contribution to their communities.
One attendee to meet the royals was 17-year-old Isla Grist, who was born with a rare skin condition called Epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
The teenager, from Inverness, experiences severe blistering as a result of EB, also known as butterfly skin.
Isla was accompanied by former Scottish international footballer Graeme Souness on behalf of the charity DEBRA UK to raise awareness of the condition with the King.
She said of Charles: “He asked me about the charity that me and Graeme are involved in. He was very up-to-knowledge, which must be a hard job with all these people.”
When asked how she felt about meeting the King and Queen, Isla said: “A little bit nervous, but mostly excited. It’s a great honour.”
Souness, who played for and managed Liverpool and Rangers and captained his country at the 1986 World Cup, has been involved with the charity for seven years and was appointed president of DEBRA UK in April.
He said meeting with the King was “all about awareness” for the condition.
Souness said: “With more awareness, that means we can raise more money, because if you dig deep into this condition… it’s harrowing when you witness it.”
Last year, the former player and pundit completed a relay swim of the English Channel for DEBRA UK and has been working to bring awareness of the condition, which affects around 5,000 people in the UK.
He continued: “Well, I’m hoping the pictures here – the pictures of Isla and the King and Queen – appear everywhere and help us enormously. It was all about awareness.”
On Wednesday, the King and Queen, the Duke of Rothesay (the Prince of Wales) and the Duke of Edinburgh will attend the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral.
The Order of the Thistle is the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland, recognising 16 knights with the highest honour in the country, as well as Scottish men and women who have held public office or who have contributed in a particular way to national life.
