Possibly the most noticeable tartan is the Stewart Royal Modern Tartan.
Please note that you will see Stewart/Stuart in this blog post. The first spelling of the name was “Stewart”, which is the old Scots version, but during the 16th century and French influence, the adopted spelling was Stuart and Steuart, because “W” is not part of the French alphabet.
While many have worn the tartan may it be royal guards, pipe bands or even some who use it as fashion as part of their wardrobe, home design and more.
The Stewart Royal Modern is perhaps the most popular tartan and its worn by the British Royal family.
According to Lochcarron of Scotland, “The Royal Stewart tartan generally referred to simply as the Royal Tartan, has been associated with the Royal House of Stewart for several centuries. The Stewart monarchs were descended from Walter, High Steward of Scotland, who married Princess Marjory, daughter of King Robert the Bruce. Their son, King Robert II, was the first Stewart king. The male line of the Royal House of Stewart ended with the death of Prince Henry, brother of Prince Charles Edward. H. M. The Queen is chief of the Royal House of Stuart and “chief of chiefs”.
So, let’s learn of the House of Stewart/Stuart
So, who is Kings Robert II, he was the King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. He was the first monarch of the House of Stewart (now known as House of Stuart), a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain.
In 1503, James IV married Margaret Tudor, which linked the royal houses of Scotland and England. This is important as now we have the Scottish and English connection.
Geographical Notes:
For those who don’t know: United Kingdom is a country of countries which include England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
There are two islands in the British Isles: Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain, the island itself consists of England, Scotland and Wales. While Ireland which is not a country, but the island of Ireland consists of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Island.
And I am throwing this in here to unintentionally confuse you even more…. there are Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Geurnsey, Jersy), the Commonwealth Realm (ie. Canada, Australia, New Zaealand, Jamaica, The Bahamas and many more) and British Overseas Territoiries (Bermuda, Cayman Islands and dozens more).
OK, back to the House of Stuart. The Royal House of Stuart became extinct with the death of Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart, brother Charles Edward Stuart in 1807.
There have been a total of nine Stewart/Stuart monarchs which have ruled Scotland alone from 1371 to 1603. It was interrupted in 1649 by the establishment of the Commonwealth but was restored in 1660. James VII was brought up Roman Catholic, so he was deposed by the parliament in 1689 While two Stuart queens ruled the isles following the Glorious Revolution in 1688, Mary II and Anne.
As of today, there is only one direct descendant of the House of Stuart and that is Franz, Duke of Bavaria. But why isn’t he the King?
If it were not for the Act of Settlement of 1701, Franz would have been the successor to the British crowns of the Stuart kings. The Act of Settlement was to settle the succession to the English and Irish crowns on Protestants only. Under the Act of Settlement, anyone who becomes Roman Catholic or married to one, is disqualified to inherit the throne.
But the rule of the Royal House of Stuart ended in 1714, when the British crown was passed to the house of Hanover, which was succeeded by the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (renamed to house of Windsor in 1917).
The Royal House of Windsor is the royal house of the United Kingdom which Queen Elizabeth II and the heir apparent, Charles, prince of Wales and his elder son, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, are part of.
And the “Royal Tartan” today, which originated from the House of Stewart, is the official tartan of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of the Royal House of Windsor.
But why are people wearing the Royal Tartan? Isn’t that illegal?
While Queen Elizabeth II wears the House of Stewart Royal Tartan, rules have become lax that only one tartan, that the Royal House of Windsor really wears today and have enacted with great priority, the Balmoral Tartan.
At the time, there was a tradition no one can wear the Royal Tartan without expressed permission by the Queen but the rules are not as strict as today. The only tartan that needs the Queen’s permission is Balmoral, designed in 1853 by Prince Albert and was adopted by Queen Victoria and has been worn by every British monarch since. The Royal House has banned the manufacturing of this tartan and can not be worn by the public without approval of the Buckingham Palace.
Know your tartans!!! Do not wear this Balmoral tartan, only royalty can wear this.
Don’t wear Balmoral Tartan!!!
OK, let’s get back to the Stewart Royal Modern Tartan.
First and foremost, do know that there are different varieties of of Stewart tartan (you can see these much better from Lochcarron of Scotland’s Tartan Finder).
Stewart Royal Modern
Stewart Dress
Stewart Hunting Ancient
Stewart Hunting Modern
Stewart Hunting Weathered
Stewart Old Sett Ancient
I have been wearing Stewart Royal Modern tartan for years.
For me, it’s a sophisticated, cool wool tie that distinguishes itself through its patterns. By looking closely, you can see a variety of colors and the way the stitching of this tie is, it’s pretty awesome and complex. In fact, I own several.
But for me, if you want a sophisticated, well-known tartan with history and elegance, definitely give the Stewart Royal Modern Tartan a try!
