The King appeared visibly moved as he took part in a special service to dedicate a new memorial to Queen Elizabeth II.
King Charles and Queen Camilla were at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh to see a new stone commemorating the late Monarch.
The tribute, set into the floor of St. Giles, is placed near the spot where Elizabeth II’s coffin rested just before it left her Scottish realm for the final time.
this special occasion when The King unveiled the stone which will form a permanent memorial to Elizabeth II at St. Giles where her coffin lay in rest before departing her Scottish realm for the final time.
The simple tribute is placed in the floor of the cathedral and is dominated by her cipher, EIIR. On either side of that are her dates 1926 – 2022 and beneath is a brief inscription which reads ”lay here 12-13 September 2022′ recalling the two days when her coffin rested there and thousands filed past to pay tribute.
King Charles appeared visibly moved during the dedication ceremony. In 2022, one of his first duties as king in Scotland was to stand as part of a royal guard of honour at his mother’s coffin in St. Giles. In 2023, he returned to the Cathedral for the Presentation of the Honours of Scotland when the country’s crown was shown to him.
After the dedication service, the Revered Dr. Scott Rennie, Minister of St. Giles, said ”It has been a great honour and privilege to welcome Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla back to St Giles’ for such a special event as we commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth, who visited the cathedral many times, with the Dedication of the Memorial Stone.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla made the tribute as they began Royal Week in Scotland which has also seen them host a garden party at Holyroodhouse.
