Looking back at 2023: King Charles and Queen Camilla cheered through Edinburgh for the Scottish Coronation

The King and Queen were cheered through the streets of Edinburgh as the celebrations for the Scottish celebration got under way on July 5th 2023.

Their Majesties were driven from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St. Giles’ Cathedral for the Presentation of the Honours of Scotland – the Crown, the Sceptre and the Sword.

The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay accompanied them.

The Royal Procession came after a People’s Procession involving hundreds of representatives of different parts of Scottish society began the day’s proceedings.

The Honours of Scotland, the oldest Crown Jewels in the UK, were driven by Rolls Royce form their home at Edinburgh Castle to St. Giles for the ceremony. There were some protestors waiting on the Royal Mile to voice their opinions about the King’s celebrations in Scotland and his reign as a whole. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla, in the mantles of the Order of the Thistle, arrived at the Cathedral to the fanfare ‘Balmoral Flourishes’.

The Service of Thanksgiving in Edinburgh was informally known as the “Scottish Coronation” but it was not a coronation as normally defined. The Duke of Hamilton presented The King with the Crown of Scotland but he was not actually crowned during the ceremony. Instead, The King touched the Crown as he made a promise to serve the people of the country.

The Honours of Scotland, often referred to as the Crown Jewels of Scotland, include the Crown of Scotland that was created in the early 1540s and was used to crown an infant Mary, Queen of Scots at her coronation, a sceptre that was created in 1494 by Pope Alexander VI and was given as a gift to King James IV, and the 1507 Sword of State that was another papal gift.  In 2023, the Scottish Government commissioned a new Sword of State to replace the incredibly fragile sixteenth century sword. The £22,000 sword was named the Elizabeth Sword in honour of the late Queen. It was presented to His Majesty by Dame Katherine Grainger.

The sceptre was presented by Lady Dorrian in a moving and historic ceremony.

Afterwards, King Charles and Queen Camilla processed back to the Palace of Holyroodhouse followed by the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay. The celebrations for the Presentation of the Honours of Scotland came to an end with a spectacular RAF flypast above the Palace of Holyroodhouse. King Charles III and Queen Camilla, with the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, watched the aerial show from the forecourt of the Palace.

Over 700 members of the Armed Forces had led the ceremonial for the presentation with the RAF completing the celebrations over the city. A gun salute also sounded as the ceremony ended.