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On 5 July 2023, theHonours of Scotland were presented toKing Charles III in a ceremony held inSt Giles' Cathedral. The ceremony was formally described as aNational Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication to mark thecoronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.[1]
Charles III acceded to the throne immediately upon the death of his mother,Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022. He was proclaimed king in Scotland on 11 September 2022, the day after thePrincipal Proclamation in London.[2] Charles and his wife,Camilla, werecrowned king and queen on 6 May 2023 atWestminster Abbey.[3] On 9 June 2023, it was confirmed that the King's coronation visit to Scotland would occur on 5 July of that year.[4] A similar ceremony was held for Queen Elizabeth II followingher coronation in 1953.[5]
The Honours of Scotland are the oldest crown jewels in Britain. They consist of theCrown, thesceptre and thesword of state. The newly-madeElizabeth Sword was used at the ceremony, replacing the older sword which was deemed too fragile to be used.[6] They were last used in acoronation in 1651 at theScottish coronation of Charles II atScone Palace. During thevisit of George IV to Scotland in 1822, the Honours were formally presented to the king, the origin of the current ceremony.[7]
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The service was preceded by both a "people's procession" and a royal procession to the cathedral.[8] The people's procession consisted of about 100 people representing various aspects of Scottish life.[1] The Honours of Scotland were brought into the cathedral in the "People's Procession". These were followed by members of theScottish Parliament and theCollege of Justice, as well as the heads of Scottish emergency services and members of both theOrder of St John in Scotland and theOrder of the Thistle.[9] Military participation in the procession included mounted elements of theRoyal Scots Dragoon Guards and pipe bands from theCombined Cadet Force andArmy Cadet Force A Tri-Service Guard for the Honours of Scotland was formed by detachments from theRoyal Navy, theRoyal Air Force, the Band of theRoyal Regiment of Scotland andBalaklava Company, 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland,[10] with a close escort of theRoyal Company of Archers. The royal party was escorted by theRoyal Marine Band (Scotland),[5] the Pipes, Drums and Bugles of the2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland and theHousehold Cavalry Mounted Regiment.[10]
The Crown was carried into the cathedral byAlexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton, while the sceptre was carried byLady Dorrian, theLord Justice Clerk, and the Elizabeth Sword was carried by OlympianDame Katherine Grainger.[9] TheStone of Scone was also moved to the cathedral for the service.[1] The service began at 14:15 in St Giles' Cathedral.[9] TheFirst Minister of Scotland,Humza Yousaf, read fromPsalm 19, while the sermon was given bythe Right ReverendSally Foster-Fulton, theModerator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.[11] Blessings and statements of affirmation were made by representatives ofIslam,Hinduism,Judaism,Tibetan Buddhism andHumanism. The main element of the service was the ceremonial presentation of each item of the regalia, which the king touched before returning them to their bearers.[9] The Dean said that in offering the royal symbols 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".[9]
The service concluded with the singing of the National Anthem, "God Save the King".[9]
After the ceremony, the King and Queen, joined byPrince William, Duke of Rothesay andCatherine, Duchess of Rothesay, received a 21-gun salute at thePalace of Holyroodhouse, followed by a flypast by theRed Arrows.[8][1] The ceremony was also met with protests outside the cathedral.[11]