Iona Colquhoun - The Underwater Sure Shot

Iona Colquhoun, Duchess of Argyll carries forward the clan’s adventurous spirit with a blend of elegance, independence, and determination.

Raised on the shores of Loch Lomond, daughter of Sir Ivar Colquhoun, her early life was shaped by both the demands and freedoms of the landscape — learning fieldcraft, endurance, and self-reliance in a world where such pursuits were rarely expected of young women.

A gifted rifle shot, she competed at international level, approaching deer stalking with both skill and sensitivity. Her life combined this grounded connection to nature with a broader, more unconventional curiosity.

An accomplished embroiderer and keen scuba diver, she moved easily between tradition and the unexpected, equally at home in the Highlands or exploring beneath the surface of the sea. In public life, she was poised and adventurous, breaking new ground as the first female Grand Master of the Keepers of the Quaich.

This was a life lived in the spirit of determination and one that helped challenge expectations.