Scots fling for Queen Mother

Salutes were fired in Edinburgh and Stirling

Visitors to the Queen Mother's childhood home in Angus have been joining in the festival atmosphere to mark her 100th birthday.

The royal centenarian spent much of her youth at Glamis Castle, where special events were organised to mark the red-letter day.

Visitors to the castle and 16,000-acre estate enjoyed additional attractions laid on for the occasion, including the Grampian Police Pipe Band, country dancers and a falconry display.

The Queen Mother has a special relationship with Scotland

The castle has always had special significance for the Queen Mother, who was greeted by cheering crowds as she celebrated her birthday in London.

She first visited the castle, the ancestral home of the Lyon, now Bowes Lyon family, in 1903, to attend her grandparents' golden wedding celebrations.

When her grandfather died the following year, her father inherited the castle and estate and the family used it, along with other residences throughout the UK.

Glamis party

During WWI the teenage Elizabeth Bowes Lyon and her family lived at Glamis, part of which was converted to act as a hospital for wounded British soldiers.

On Friday, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore ensured that the Queen Mother's birthday would be marked in grand fashion.

The couple and the mother of the countess, the Dowager Countess, appeared at the doorstep of the castle with a cake saying "Happy birthday ma'am".

The Earl of Strathmore: "She's pretty amazing"

In the evening, the Strathmore family hosted a private party and barbecue for 350 present and former members of staff and their families with entertainment provided by a local band.

The earl, the Queen Mother's great nephew, said: "She spent a lot of her childhood here at Glamis and looked after convalescent soldiers recovering here during the First World War.

"We have already sent her a telegram and I think we will leave her in peace today and hopefully I will speak to her over the weekend.

"It's a very busy day for her but she will manage that - she's pretty amazing for someone of that age."

Summer visit

Staff at the Queen Mother's summer home, the Castle of Mey in Caithness, are waiting to give her post-birthday greetings when she arrives on Monday for her annual break.

The Queen Mum is expected to arrive by air at Wick Airport in the early afternoon.

During her stay in the far north, she is expected to make her normal visits to an art exhibition in Thurso and the annual Highland Games at Mey.

People in Tain paid tribute to her wartime role

In the royal burgh of Tain, a pilgrimage in the footsteps of medieval kings commemorated the Queen Mother's wartime role and in particular her prayers for Britain during its darkest hour.

A specially written pipe tune written in her honour and entitled The Secret of Eternal Youth, was played in her honour.

The Royal Bank of Scotland has issued two million £20 notes showing pictures of the Queen Mother now and when she was a child.

The day also saw two 21-gun salutes fired from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle at midday.

Cakes, flowers and bells

Visitors to Stirling Castle enjoyed a slice of a giant birthday cake prepared by Historic Scotland.

And four Tornado aircraft from RAF Leuchars took part in a fly-past over the ancient fortress seconds before midday.

In Glasgow, Lord Provost Alex Mosson sent floral displays and cakes to the 2,400 residents of the city council's residential homes for the elderly and day care centres.

Three residents at Crossmyloof Home, Agnes Penglase, Mary Conn and Annie Milne, were also celebrating their 100th birthdays and Mr Mosson visited them to cut a cake, marking theirs and the Queen Mother's birthday.

The city of Dundee paid its own tribute with a bell ringing ceremony at the Old Steeple.