Queen's Baton Relay
In 1958, for the VI British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Her Majesty The Queen handed over at Buckingham Palace, a specially designed baton, containing a message from herself to the carried by a series of runners to Cardiff. It was handed over at the Opening Ceremony and the message read to all those assembled in the stadium. Six hundred and sixty four runners carried the baton.
This relay, conveying the Queen’s message, is now an integral part of the Games.
The baton’s journey symbolises the unity and shared ideals of the Commonwealth of Nations, and enables communities beyond the Host City to share the Games celebrations. It also serves a functional purpose in carrying Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘message to the athletes’ from Buckingham Palace in London to the Opening Ceremony of the Games where it is read out by the Queen or another member of the Royal family.
The Baton visits Scotland for a two to three day period every four years prior to the Games. It was last in Scotland in November 2009.