King Charles was presented with the crown jewels of Scotland in a historic thanksgiving serving today before he and Queen Camilla stood side by side with the Prince and Princess of Wales to watch a Red Arrows flypast.
The monarch received the Crown of Scotland, the Sceptre and the Sword of State of the Honours of Scotland – the country’s crown jewels – at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh eight weeks after his crowning at Westminster Abbey. William and Catherine, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay north of the border, joined Scotland’s leading figures and 100 individuals from all walks of society at the church on the Royal Mile. The Right Reverend Sally Foster-Fulton, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, delivered the sermon, in which she called for action to tackle global warming to stop the world ‘baking to a crisp’. A 21-gun salute rang out across the Scottish capital following the historic ceremony, before nine planes left trails of red, white and blue as the royals watched from the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
During the processions activists loudly booed and shouted ‘Not My King’ from a protest spot yards from the Royal Mile – leading to criticism from royalists who believe they should have been given a less prominent location.
Two women, 20 and 21, were arrested after allegedly trying to climb over a crowd safety barrier during the event and charged with a breach of the peace.
For the service, the Princess of Wales wore a Catherine Walker coat, hat by Philip Treacy and a necklace from the late Queen’s collection, while her husband was dressed in his RAF No1 uniform.
In a touching moment, the pair were seen joking with each other as the service got underway.
Delivering the sermon, the Right-Reverend Foster-Fulton 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,’ she said.
‘And it is our duty to return it still singing and surging and bathing, not baking to a crisp.’
Charles spoke extensively before becoming King about the importance of the environment, tackling climate change and protecting wildlife. He runs his Aston Martin sportscar on sustainable fuel and even recycles his bathwater at Clarence House.
On Wednesday, spectators watched a people’s procession make its way from Edinburgh Castle to the cathedral – a group around 100 strong, reflecting all aspects of Scottish society from the arts and politics, to education, civil society and business, including charities which the King supports as patron. At its head was Shetland pony Corporal Cruachan IV, regimental mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Protesters and royal fans lined the streets, with republican groups chanting ‘Not my King’ countered by others shouting ‘God save the King’. Participants from the people’s procession sat in the cathedral’s pews as the Moderator said ideals like ‘mercy and peace’ should not be ‘domesticated or downgraded’ but be the ‘fabric of our being’.
She also said that society is on the ‘right track’ if people are ‘brave enough’ to ‘choose collaboration and trust over fear-filled circling of our wagons’.
‘Sisters and brothers, look around you. We are one global neighbourhood – intricately inter-related and completely co-dependent, woven together, like a tartan,’ she said. Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, gave a Bible reading from the Old Testament during the service and Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger carried the Sword of State. The Rt Rev Foster-Fulton concluded by telling the King and Queen: ‘Your Majesties, you have made it part of your mission to speak alongside creation, advocating for it.
As we present the Honours of Scotland to you, we commit ourselves to walking that journey with you. ‘We are all a small part of something so much bigger – this beautiful, sacred creation and everyone and everything in it. Thanks be to God.’
Major General Alastair Bruce, governor of Edinburgh Castle, watched the people’s procession set off from the fortress’ esplanade, and it was joined by four mounted elements of the Scots Dragoon Guards, the Pipes & Drums of Robert Gordon’s Combined Cadet Force and the 51 Brigade Cadet Military Band.
Crowds lining crash barriers along the royal mile to watch Corporal Cruachan IV, the Shetland pony regimental mascot of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, leading the men of women in the procession. The Honours of Scotland, crown, sword of state and sceptre, will soon follow escorted by military personnel from across the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force and the Royal Company of Archers, who act as the King’s body guard in Scotland. Three sisters, Julie Avery, 51, from Birmingham, Karen Shortiss, 54, from Penicuik, Midlothian and Linda Halfpenny, 67, from New Zealand, were among those gathered along the Royal Mile to see Charles and Camilla. Mrs Halfpenny has lived in New Zealand for 42 years and is in Britain to see her two sisters. Her time at home coincided with Charles and Camilla’s visit to Scotland, so she phoned her sisters and asked if they could attend the event with her. Avery said: ‘Linda is over here visiting and last week she sent me a message asking if I could have Wednesday off and could I come up, so I said ‘Yes alright.’ ‘I came up last night and I’ll go home tomorrow morning to go to work tomorrow afternoon.’
Shortiss said: ‘We’ll spend the day together as well.’ Halfpenny said she had ‘come a long way’ and the sisters wanted a ‘good position’ to be able to see the royal procession.
Also in the crowd were four women from Italy, wearing fascinators and carrying royal family teacups. They are on a business trip in Scotland and came along at midnight yesterday to scope out their position in the crowd, but arrived at 8:30am on Wednesday. Ciara, from Bologna, said: ‘We like the royal family and we want to share with our community to show what happened.’
Paula, also from Bologna, added: ‘We want to show our support to the new King.’ Elsewhere in the crowd was Margaret Jenkins, 62, from East Lothian, who said: ‘I’m excited to see King Charles, my King and I know not everyone would agree.’ Anne Connolly, 65, from South Shields, said: ‘It’s a good day out. We’re looking forward to seeing the King and Camilla.’ Referring to an area fenced off for protesters outside the cathedral, she said: ‘They’ve given the protesters the best spot here, the best view. It isn’t fair.’
Protesters gathered outside the High Court building holding placards saying ‘Not My King’.
One of the protesters said that the royal family is a ‘symbol of the state the country is in’.
She said: ‘They are a classic example of people who have too much when people have so little. ‘It’s not a personal thing against the King, but it is a democratic disgrace that he has this unelected position in a modern country.’ She said protesters had received an ‘absolutely fabulous’ response from passers-by. She added: ‘It’s mostly tourists and they all find it very strange that we still have this odd constitutional quirk.’ Footage showed the republicans being greeted with an equally loud response from supporters of the Royal Family chanting ‘Charles King of Scots’ while waving Union flags.