Edinburgh Cine Society Newsreel - Queen at Leith

The Queen and Prince Philip arrive in style on the splendid Royal Yacht Britannia to open the 10th Edinburgh International Festival in a glorious amateur film from the 1960s.

Amateur Edinburgh cine club footage from 1965 of the Queen and Prince Philip arriving on the beautiful Royal Yacht Britannia to open the 10th Edinburgh International Festival. The royal party is greeted by large crowds, kilted soldiers and suited war veterans before being welcomed by the Mayor and chauffeured through the bustling crowd lined streets of Leith. Marching men in top hats and traditional costume add a sense of pomp and ceremony to this splendid royal occasion.

This film was shot by members of the Edinburgh Cine and Video Society (formerly the Waverley Cine Society). Founded in 1936 the Society is the oldest movie making organisation in Scotland. In 1938 it purchased its current premises at Fettes Row in Edinburgh to become the only cine club in Scotland to own its own meeting rooms. These have been developed over the years and now include a cinema, with seats rescued from a local cinema which was closing down, and a blue screen facility for chroma-key work.