Flora McDonald Statue, Inverness

The Flora McDonald Statue is a historical landmark located near Inverness Castle. The Flora McDonald Statue is a monument to Flora McDonald who helped Prince Charles Edward Stuart evade capture by government troops after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. She disguised the prince as her handmaiden while escaping on a boat to Skye, an island west of Inverness.

She was arrested for helping Prince Charles Edward Stuart escape and held in the Tower of London but released under a general amnesty in June 1747. She later married Allan MacDonald and the couple emigrated to North Carolina in 1773. Their support for the British government during the American War of Independence meant the loss of their American estates and they returned to Scotland, where Flora died in 1790.

The bronze statue was designed by Andrew Davidson. It was completed in 1899 and placed in front of Sheriff Court. She shields her eyes as she looks over the valley of the River Ness. A bronze, Scottish dog lies at the feet of the statue.

Along with the statue is a bronze plaque shaped like a shield. Written in both Gaelic and English, the plaque reads: "The preserver of Prince Charles Edward Stuart will be mentioned in history and if courage and fidelity be virtues, mentioned with honor."