The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have put on a loved up display in Scotland, meeting with locals and taking a tour of the village of Ballater in Aberdeenshire. The royals, who are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, appeared in high spirits as they strolled through the paved streets and peered into a few of the quaint shops lining the main street this week.

The royals were in town to celebrate the opening of the Ballater Community & Heritage Hub, a new local centre in the Scottish village that will support the community and offer new services and programmes. They also viewed some of the recent improvements to the village, before Charles made a special trip to the iconic Cambus O’May suspension bridge, which has recently been repaired following severe damage from flooding during Storm Frank at the end of 2015. The bridge was originally built in 1905.

Charles and Camilla certainly dressed for the occasion, sporting kilts and tartan. Camilla rugged up against the cooler weather up north with a striking tartan shawl.

The royal couple regularly visit the Ballater area, with the royal residence Balmoral Castle just minutes away. Over the years many members of the royal family have made the trek up north during the summer as the Queen and Prince Philip typically relocated to Balmoral every August and stayed there until autumn. This year the Queen headed there alone for the first time in decades following the death of her beloved husband in April.

While she didn’t have Philip by her side this year, she was visited by members of the royal family, including Charles who has made a point to remain close to his mother over the past few months.

Charles and Camilla’s visit to Ballater this week was just one of the many public appearances they’ve made this year in an effort to lighten the Queen’s workload and prepare for their eventual move to the head of the monarchy.

Both Charles and Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have increased their royal workload in recent years, and both couples appear to be making an effort to modernise the royal family’s public image. Charles in particular has increased his work around climate change awareness, while William and Catherine have focussed their efforts on mental health.