Scotland celebrates King’s coronation with pageantry and prayer
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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.
Charles was presented with the symbols of his authority in Scotland – the Crown, the Sceptre and the Sword of State – known as the Honours of Scotland, as songs were sung in Gaelic and local dialects, and Scottish musicians performed.
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.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “It was a beautiful service, it had the best of everything Scottish – traditional and modern.
“I think everyone who was there would have been very, very pleased with how it went.”
In her sermon, the Right Reverend Sally Foster-Fulton, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, delivered a stark environmental message that the planet needed to be safeguarded for future generations and not left “baking to a crisp”.
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.
An anti-monarchy protest was staged close to the cathedral and chants of “not my King” could be heard during the service. At one point republicans were peacefully confronted by royalists before the ceremony began.
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.”
He said the service of thanksgiving was a “Game Of Thrones-style cosplay exercise” and hit out at the disruption in Edinburgh.
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.”
The King was crowned in May sat above the Stone of Destiny and the historic piece of rock had been brought from its home at Edinburgh Castle to the cathedral under the watch of the King’s Body Guard for Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers.
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.
Earlier, spectators on the city’s Royal Mile watched a people’s procession make its way from Edinburgh Castle down 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.
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.
“As we offer these to the King, we celebrate the peace and unity of our land and its people, and together we dedicate ourselves anew to serving the common good of our nation.”
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.
