King Charles (77) has found an alternative to the World Cup or the tennis tournament at Wimbledon, which are currently taking place. The British monarch bestowed his royal seal of approval upon the sport of 'Hand Ba''. He threw the first 'Ba'' in the Scottish town of Jedburgh at the traditional street sport, whose origins are said to date back to 1704.
The 20 players present immediately pounced on the playing equipment thrown by the King, as images of the event show. A scrum formed on the ground in close proximity to Charles, which according to media reports put the royal security officers on alert.
Commotion in front of King Charles
However, according to reports, King Charles was not fazed by the athletic commotion and merely stepped back a few paces to get out of the way. Before the game began, the King is said to have already jokingly asked the men where the health and safety officer was. Indeed, the street sport follows only a few rules: a ball fitted with a ribbon is thrown into the scrum of the two teams. One team, the 'Uppies', tries to carry the ball towards the town's castle, while the 'Doonies' try to take it to the river.
Charlie Young, chairman of the Jethart Callants Club, explained the history of the sport to the King and revealed according to 'BBC': 'King Charles was somewhat surprised when the game swung in his direction and some security personnel had to come a bit closer. But what an honor for us that the King threw the ball into play.'
King Charles is in Scotland for Royal Week
On June 30, King Charles began the so-called Royal Week in Scotland. The monarch, who according to the broadcaster arrived in Edinburgh by helicopter, first attended a ceremonial event in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse - his official residence in the Scottish capital. Royal Week, also called Holyrood Week in Scotland, is the annual royal celebration of Scottish culture, community and achievements. Traditionally, the monarch spends a week at the Palace of Holyroodhouse every year in July for this purpose.
