Britain’s Princess Anne is set to officially open the Kelpies sculptures.
The 64-year-old royal will lead a flotilla of around 40 boats along the Forth and Clyde canal to the giant horse-heads, which are situated near Falkirk in Scotland.
She will be joined at the ceremony by sculptor Andy Scott, whose dramatic-looking designs have provided an enormous boost to the local economy and have been described as "Scotland’s national treasure" by the National Lottery.
Indeed, the Kelpies represent the centrepiece of the £43-million Helix parkland project, which is said to have improved the local economy by as much as £1.5 million per year.
In addition to the pair of sculptures – which are made from 600 tonnes of steel – a visitor centre, costing £1.8 million, is due to open later this year.
Meanwhile, it’s been announced that the show-jumping horse of Zara Phillips – Princess Anne’s daughter – will not contest this year’s Longines FEI European Eventing Championship at Blair Castle in September.
It’s been confirmed he is not back to full fitness after suffering a serious injury in April.
Princess Anne to open the Kelpies sculptures
