King to start annual hand ba’ game during Jedburgh visit

The King will watch a horse procession and start a game of hand ba’ when he visits Jedburgh next week as part of his annual stay in Scotland.

It has been 20 years since the Borders town last hosted a royal visitor, when the Princess Royal opened the Jedburgh Bandstand in 2006.

Charles’s visit next Thursday comes during this year’s Jethart Callant Festival, which runs from June 20-July 12.

Youngsters at the Jedburgh Hand Ba event — The King will be invited to start the annual hand ba’ game, which has been played in Jedburgh every year since 1704 (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Part of the “common ridings” held across the Borders each year, the festival celebrates the historic riding of the town boundaries with music, parades and community gatherings.

The King will join members of the community for the event in Jedburgh town square.

There he will watch a pipe band followed by a procession of horses led by the Callant – a young man chosen each year to lead the festival and represent the town, whose entourage will dismount to perform a traditional reel.

Charles will also be invited to start the game of hand ba’, a historic street sport played annually in Jedburgh since 1704, before meeting members of the public and visiting local businesses including Briggsy’s, Stems of Jedburgh and Jedburgh Chocolate House.

Other stops during the visit will include Jedforest Bandstand and Park, where the King will meet stallholders and members of the local community.

He will also visit the Jed Shed, which was founded in 2014 and provides a space for members to create, share skills and build connections.

Charles will watch a short carpentry demonstration before meeting members in the social space to hear how the facility has supported their physical and mental wellbeing.

The visit comes three years after the King’s last visit to the Borders, when Charles and Camilla visited Galashiels and Selkirk in 2023.

The council has encouraged local people to come into Jedburgh for the event, calling on them to “come along and be part of another memorable royal visit for the Scottish Borders”.