Duke of Atholl

The Duke of Atholl is a Scottish nobleman whose lands and hospitality become part of Victoria's world when the young Queen travels north. Proud of his Highland heritage and his own authority, he greets the visiting court with courtly formality, quietly amused by the collision between London manners and Scottish tradition.

Denis Lawson brings a dry, unhurried charm to a role that could easily be mere scenery, giving the Duke a twinkle of self-possession beneath the ceremonial bowing. He plays the Highland host as someone entirely secure in his own world, which makes his scenes with the visiting court quietly funny and oddly grounding.