Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a prodigious Scottish author, with works in verse and prose, who drew inspiration from the Jacobite campaigns for a number of his publications.

In August 1822, King George IV was the first reigning British monarch to visit Scotland in nearly two centuries.

Scott’s organisation of the visit included a tartan pageantry, and the presence of Highland chiefs had a lasting influence, elevating the tartan kilt to become part of Scotland’s national identity.

In the first of a series of short films, Viccy Coltman is in conversation with Kirsty Archer-Thompson, Curator at Scott’s home, Abbotsford House in the Scottish Borders, exploring Scott’s role in this royal visit and his interest in Jacobitism.