The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will join other senior members of the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Games, Buckingham Palace has said.

William, Kate and Harry, who were all official ambassadors for Team GB and ParalympicsGB at London 2012, will watch athletes from across the globe compete at the event being staged in Glasgow next month.

The news was announced as the Queen's Baton returns to Scotland today after a 248-day journey around the Commonwealth as the final countdown to the Glasgow 2014 games begins.

Triple Commonwealth gold medallist Daley Thompson will pass it across the border to Team Scotland athlete Eilidh Child in the town of Coldstream in the Borders.

The baton will arrive along the River Tweed in a traditional fishing boat rowed by adventurer and broadcaster Mark Beaumont, with local ghillie Brendan Loughand also on board.

It will be welcomed to Scotland by a guard of honour of local children, holding flags of the Commonwealth, along the Coldstream bridge, while BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year Robyn Stapleton will perform "Here's to All Our Common Wealth", a specially commissioned song for the Queen's Baton Relay.

The Coldstream Pipe Band will also participate in the celebrations.

Over the past 248 days the baton has visited 69 nations and territories around the Commonwealth on a 100,000-mile journey ahead of the Games.

For the next 40 days, it will visit more than 400 Scottish communities and be carried by more than 4000 baton-bearers, recognised for their inspiration, hard work and impact on the lives of others.

Eilidh Child, Team Scotland silver medallist, said: "I am truly honoured to be the first batonbearer in Scotland; it's such an iconic moment and one that I'm really looking forward to."

The baton was sent on its way by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on October 9 last year, travelling to Glasgow for a civic reception the following day before leaving with a delegation of organisers for Delhi, hosts of the last Commonwealth Games in 2010.

Daley Thompson, who represented England, said he felt "honoured" to be carrying the baton into Scotland.

The baton's final destination will be the opening ceremony in Glasgow on July 23 where the Queen will read the special message contained inside the baton.

After the celebrations in Coldstream, it will travel to Edinburgh to visit locations including Heriot Watt University,Meadowbank Stadium and the Royal Commonwealth Pool - which will host the diving competitions - and will also board a tram.

It will stop off at Edinburgh Castle for the 21-gun salute to mark the Queen's official birthday and the Scottish Parliament.

Michael Cavanagh, chairman for Commonwealth Games Scotland, said: "The first day of the Queen's Baton Relay signifies the final countdown to the Games, and when it is handed from England to Scotland we will begin our final journey to Glasgow."

Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland, said: "It is now time to welcome the baton home and raise the levels of excitement in Scotland to fever pitch for what will be a truly spectacular year."