There may be a date for The King’s Scottish “coronation” or service of dedication and thanksgiving as it is known. It is thought that The King and Queen will be presented with the Honours of Scotland on 5 July.
The King and Queen will be in Scotland for the first week of July for Holyrood Week. This is the week that the monarch hosts a Garden Party in Edinburgh, holds an Investiture, and conducts a number of engagements throughout Scotland. The Garden Party will be held on 4 July this year and it will be The King’s first Scottish Garden Party of his reign.
While this alone does not confirm that the service of dedication and thanksgiving will be held on 5 July, the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle will be closed from 4 to 6 July, and the entire castle will be closed on 5 July. This could be because the Crown Jewels will be at St. Giles’ Cathedral for the service.
In 1953, the young Queen Elizabeth II visited St. Giles’ Cathedral shortly after her coronation in Westminster Abbey to dedicate herself to her Scottish subjects, as well. The Coronation service at Westminster Abbey is a Church of England service; holding a service at St. Giles’ allows the monarch to reach their Scottish subjects.
During the service, The King will be presented with the Scottish Crown Jewels, which are formally known as the Honours of Scotland.
The Honours are the oldest surviving Crown Jewels in Great Britain and date back to the middle of the 16th century. While the English crown jewels were largely melted down and sold during the Interregnum, the Scottish crown jewels were hidden to protect them.
Those present for the service will see the Scottish crown, sword of state, and sceptre. When not used for ceremonial purposes, the Crown Jewels are regularly displayed at Edinburgh Castle.
The late Queen lay in state in St. Giles’ Cathedral after passing away in Scotland. The King and his siblings performed the Vigil of the Princes at St. Giles’ while members of the Scottish public paid their respects.
