29 May 2002: The Jubilee tour of Scotland ends in the Scottish Borders

Torrential rain did not prevent the final leg of The Queen's Jubilee tour of Scotland going ahead almost according to schedule, nor crowds turning out to greet Her Majesty and Prince Philip in the Scottish Border towns of Lauder and Melrose. The area's love of Rugby Union and its long Royal history played a key part in the day's engagements.

The day began in the Royal Burgh of Lauder to the impromptu strains of 'Singing in the Rain' struck up by the Selkirk Silver Band. The visit was a doubly special one, since the burgh was celebrating its 500th anniversary year. The Queen and Prince Philip signed a scroll commemorating their visit, before The Queen planted a tree. 

A planned walkabout had to be cut short as a result of the heavy rain. As a result, there was an unscheduled stop on the way to Melrose, surprising parked motorists in a lay-by, when the Royal Daimler pulled in for a short period to prevent The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh arriving too far ahead of schedule in Melrose.

Having arrived in Melrose at the right time, The Queen and Prince Philip toured the ruins of Melrose Abbey. The abbey was one of a number of great Abbeys built in the Borders in the twelfth century by David I of Scotland, an ancestor of The Queen on her mother's side.

The Queen watched a re-enactment of the grant of the Abbey's Charter by King David in 1136, with local residents playing the parts of the king and monks. Her Majesty was also shown the burial place of the heart of Robert the Bruce. Bruce had originally wanted to be buried in the Holy Land, but he died before reaching there, and his heart was buried in Melrose instead.

In the town square The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh went on a walkabout, being greeted by around 2,000 well-wishers. The Royal party was then escorted by Jim Wallace, Deputy First Minister of Scotland, for a lunch of local smoked salmon and chicken at Melrose Rugby Club. 

Entertainment took the form of a re-enactment of the seven-a-side rugby match between teams from Galashiels and Melrose in 1883 which led to the creation of Rugby Sevens. 

There were also a display from the "Borders Gathering", with people on horseback representing the tradition of 'Common Ridings' in which the boundaries of Borders towns are marked out each year, and local festivals. Some 958 primary school children from 32 schools put on a dancing display for The Queen. 

Before leaving The Queen was given a Jubilee gift to remind her of the occasion - a wych elm burr bowl taken from a tree in Broughton and handcrafted by Mike Candish, of Peebles, was given to the Queen.

In a speech to the assembled guests, The Queen spoke warmly of her visit to Scotland and thanked the people in the Borders for their hospitality: "Before leaving Scotland the Duke of Edinburgh and myself would like to express how much we have enjoyed returning to the Scottish Borders and would like to thank you for all the preparations you have made. Thank you very much and good luck to you and all your fellow Borderers."

From Melrose The Queen and Prince Philip flew back to London. Their 1,000-mile tour of Scotland had taken in most regions of the country, from Glasgow and Edinburgh to the western and northern extremities.