Flags are flying at half mast over Blair Castle to mark the death of the Duke of Atholl.
The 83-year-old 11th Duke of Atholl, John Murray, died on Tuesday after suffering a stroke at his home in South Africa.
A quiet family funeral will be held on Friday in South Africa, but Highland Perthshire will have the chance to pay its respects at a remembrance service next month.
The annual Atholl Gathering, at which the duke’s private army musters for inspection each year, will also go ahead on May 26.
His son Bruce George Ronald Murray, the Marquis of Tullibardine, who will succeed him as the 12th duke, has confirmed he will travel to Blair Atholl to inspect the troops.
A spokesman for Atholl Estates said: ”It is with great sadness we report that John Murray, the 11th Duke of Atholl, died peacefully in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday. As a mark of respect the Atholl flag will fly at half mast at Blair Castle.
”The duke was the colonel-in-chief of the Atholl Highlanders and over the years had become a well-known figure on Atholl Estates.
”He visited Scotland every year for the Atholl Highlanders parade and gathering held at the end of May.
”As he would have wished, the parade will be held this year as usual, at Blair Castle on Saturday May 26, and the gathering on the following day.
”A service of remembrance will be held at Blair Castle when the Atholl Highlanders and local friends will have a chance to remember the duke.”
Blair Castle general manager Andrew Bruce Wooton said: ”He was in his 80s and had a full and fantastic life. His family are feeling the sorrow but are thankful he had such an interesting and varied life. He was such a happy and joyful man.
”The gathering will be particularly poignant. The duke’s son, Bruce, lives in South Africa but has come over frequently so he is no stranger. His interest in Atholl and everything to do with its history and community is as strong as his father’s so the transition will be seamless.”
John Murray, the 11th Duke of Atholl, was born on January 19 1929 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was the only child of Joan Eastwood and Major George Murray, who was killed on active service in the Second World War.
After graduating in engineering from the University of Witwatersrand he worked as a land surveyor.
In 1996 he succeeded his second cousin once removed, George Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl, taking a host of other hereditary titles at the same time including chief of Clan Murray.
He also became colonel-in-chief of the Atholl Highlanders, based at the ancestral Blair Castle Home.
However, he did not own the castle itself as one of the last acts of his predecessor was to put it into trust.
He married Margaret Leach in 1956, and together they had three children, Bruce George Ronald Murray, Marquis of Tullibardine, Lord Craig John Murray and the Lady Jennifer Murray.
Although he was based in South Africa, the duke was a familiar sight in Highland Perthshire until his health began to fail in later years.
He would annually preside over the Atholl Gathering in which his soldiers would muster for inspection ahead of the Blair Atholl Highland Games, in which he served as chieftain for many years.