The Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) is a Scottish registered charity dedicated to the promotion, protection and preservation of Scotland's national cloth.
Founded in 1995, the charitable purposes of the Authority are: With the assistance of members and stakeholders, the STA fields enquiries each year and works in partnership with, and as advisors to, a range of public and private bodies.
[3] At this point, the STA relinquished its registration responsibilities, having already gifted the contents of its core database to National Records of Scotland to assist in the setting up of The Scottish Register of Tartans (SRT).
In 2017 The Scottish Tartans Authority gained the Royal Patronage of HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay.
Following the death of HM The Queen in September 2022, a formal review of Royal Patronages was instigated.