Royal Highland Show 2025: A celebration of success
Overall cattle winner Falleninch Tommy © Ian Georgeson The Royal Highland Show, which concluded on Sunday (22 June) at Ingliston, Edinburgh, has been hailed a success by the organiser, the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS).
The four-day event welcomed more than 212,000 visitors from across the UK.
This included Princess Anne, more than 22,000 children and well as over 6,000 animals, including 700 cattle, 2,000 sheep, 400 heavy horses and 1,700 light horse entries, from 2,500 competitors.
See also: Full Farmers Weekly coverage of the Royal Highland Show
They were vying for a share of the £195,000 prize fund and 327 trophies.
© Muckle Media
Livestock winners
The crown for overall beef cattle champion was presented to Falleninch Tommy, a two-and-a-half year old Charolais bull out of Falleninch Opal, sired by Falleninch Stormzy.
The bull is owned by Andrew Hornall from Sterlingshire, who runs a herd of 15 Charolais cows on his 180-acre farm and has never missed a show in 58 years.
His 14-month-old heifer Falleninch Valentina took the overall junior cattle title, while Stephen Taylor of the Falleninch herd was named Young Farmers’ stockman of the year.
Shining bright in the overall sheep interbreed championships was Andrew Baillie from Lanarkshire, who also took the champion title in the commercial sheep category.
Top spot in the dairy ring was awarded to Holstein fourth calver Mag Pandor, from the Laird family, Peeblesshire.
Other winners
The Queen’s Cup, first presented by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 to commemorate her presidency of the Royal Highland Show, was awarded this year to Messrs Webster and Smith for their champion goat, Guilden Elma.
Guilden Elma © Muckle Media
The Sanderson Trophy – a major mark of excellence in Scotland’s equine community – was won by Harry and Susan Sleigh, for the third time.
The Sir William Young Award, which recognises exceptional contributions to the world of livestock breeding and celebrates the enduring legacy of the late Sir William Young, was presented to Jimmy Taylor Wilson.
David Tennant, head of show for RHASS, said: “It has been wonderful to see generations from across the agricultural community come together to celebrate their great achievements, learnings, stories and make new memories, just as it has been to see visitors and families enjoy all that the show has to offer.”
Royal Highland Show trophies tell rich history
Jordan Zaccardelli (left) and Dario Batzella with some of the silverware © MAG/Philip Case
Behind each piece of gleaming silverware at the Royal Highland Show lies a hidden world of craftsmanship, tradition and family legacy.
About 200 of the show’s historic trophies were on display, with another 100 due to be handed back by last year’s winners.
Among them were standout pieces like the Queen’s Cup, donated by the late Queen in 1960, and a solid gold trophy from 1912 valued at more than £340,000.
“It’s like holding history in your hands,” said hand engraver Dario Batzella, who painstakingly etches winners’ names onto the cups.
“Each trophy is a storybook – you can see the gaps from wartime or Covid, and every name tells a tale.”
Dario, who trained for five years, works with Jordan Zaccardelli, director of Links Engraving, whose grandfather engraved many of the same trophies decades ago.
“The Queen’s Cup is my favourite,” Jordan said. “It’s not just beautiful, it links us to the monarchy, to tradition, and to my family’s past.”