Going to the chapel, gonna get Maggied

YOUR Royal Highness, may I introduce Margaret, Margaret and, erm, Margaret.

Princess Anne is set for a rather confusing time when she attends a service in St Margaret's Chapel, along with 200 women - all of them called Margaret.

The princess is the patron of the chapel guild, which will celebrate its 65th anniversary at the special St Margaret's Day event next month. The guild was set up to provide fresh flowers in the chapel for soldiers at Edinburgh Castle. The only criteria was that volunteers must have Margaret in their name, a tradition that lives on.

It was established by the late Dr Ronald Selby Wright, who sent a letter to the Evening News in September 1942, asking for volunteers named Margaret.

In it he wrote that while the chapel was "one of the most ancient shrines in Scotland" there was "but for an occasional wedding or baptism a certain cold barrenness about it".

Two of the first Margarets to place flowers at the chapel actually worked for the Evening News at the time, and now more than 200 Margarets take turns at placing fresh flowers in the chapel twice a week.

Over the past 65 years, the guild has also provided new furniture for the chapel, and raised thousands of pounds for local and national charities.

This year is also special for convener Joanne Margaret Milne, who is standing down after 14 years in the role.

Mrs Milne, of Inverleith, followed in the footsteps of her mother Margaret, and her daughter, also called Margaret, is already an active member of the guild.

"It is a long-standing tradition, although members don't actually need to be called Margaret, they just need to have Margaret in their name," she said. "It's fortunate actually, otherwise taking the minutes of our meetings would be an impossible task.

"I was encouraged to join by my mother, and I've been a member since 1961."

The first patron of the guild was Princess Margaret. After her death in 2002 the Queen appointed a new patron, Princess Anne. She will be the guest of honour at the service on November 16, and afterwards will attend the guild's annual general meeting, the only time all of the members get together.

Dr Margaret Hope, 78, of Broxburn, has been a member of the guild since 1971 and is now the vice-convener. She said: "There are so many of us now that really we only each do it once a year, so it is a bit more special."