Scotland celebrates King’s coronation with pageantry and prayer
A service of thanksgiving and dedication was offered to Charles and Camilla in Edinburgh.
The King’s coronation was celebrated by Scotland with pomp, pageantry and prayer as the head of state was presented with the nation’s crown jewels.
Scotland’s people and culture were to the fore during a service of thanksgiving and dedication for the King and Queen staged at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Around 650 leading figures from Scotland, and representatives from the nation’s life, gathered at the cathedral for the event which came eight weeks after the King and Queen were crowned in an ancient ceremony at Westminster Abbey where Charles made a pledge to “serve”.
Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s First Minister, gave a Bible reading from the Old Testament during the service, Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger carried the Sword of State, and also attending were senior figures from the Scottish judiciary, military and uniformed services.
“I think everyone who was there would have been very, very pleased with how it went.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, were part of the royal procession and entered the cathedral behind the monarch and his wife, with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also at the service.
Kate wore a Catherine Walker coat, hat by Philip Treacy and a necklace from the late Queen’s collection, while William was dressed in his RAF No1 uniform.
Scottish Greens co-leader and Holyrood minister Patrick Harvie addressed around 100 protesters from the Our Republic campaign, outside the Scottish Parliament.
Speaking about the two anti-monarchy groups protesting in the city, he said: “Republic and Our Republic have struck the right balance by continuing to make the case for the change they seek: an elected head of state.”
The moderator’s sermon took the environment as one of its themes, and she told the congregation that society will be on the “right track” if we understand that “the Heavens and Earth” are not “human commodities or possessions”.
“Blessed are we, on the right track are we when we understand that our children do not inherit this Earth from us – we have borrowed it from them,” Mrs Foster-Fulton said.
“And it is our duty to return it still singing and surging and bathing, not baking to a crisp.”
More than 700 members of the armed forces took part in the day’s events, mounting a guard of honour outside St Giles’ and taking part in a series of processions.
At its head was Shetland pony Corporal Cruachan IV, regimental mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
During the service when Scotland’s crown jewels were presented to the King for Charles to symbolically touch, Professor David Fergusson, Dean of the Chapel Royal and Dean of the Order of the Thistle, said: “The Elizabeth Sword, the sceptre, and the crown are royal symbols.
The day ended with the Red Arrows display team performing a flypast above the Palace of Holyroodhouse where Charles, Camilla, William and Kate had gathered.
