King Charles III will travel to Scotland for a historic ceremony following his coronation.
Following the footsteps of his mother in 1953, the King will be presented with the Honours of Scotland – the Scottish crown jewels.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will be guests of honour at St Giles’ Cathedral for the national service of thanksgiving and dedication.
The date has yet to be announced, but is expected to be in the summer.
Queen Elizabeth II performed her Scottish ceremonial duties on 24 June 1953, three weeks after her coronation on 2 June.
The Honours – made of gold, silver and precious gems – are the oldest crown jewels in Britain and comprise the priceless crown, sceptre and sword of state.
They are items of immense significance and many will remember the Crown of Scotland sitting atop the Queen’s coffin when she lay in state at St Giles Cathedral.
On the day of the dedication service, the Honours will be escorted from Edinburgh Castle to the Cathedral by a “People’s Procession” of around 100 representatives from across Scotland.
Few details have been release on the new King and Queen’s visit, but the 1953 Scottish state visit was part of a week-long tour of engagements in Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip travelled north by train, arriving to a great fanfare at Edinburgh’s Waverley Station.
The royal couple rode through the capital, greeting crowds on both sides of Princes Street and up the Royal Mile in an open-top carriage procession, escorted by the Royal Company of Archers.
They attended the thanksgiving service at St Giles which was led by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, James Pitt-Watson.
A congregation of 1,700 watched as the Queen received the Honours from the Dean of the Thistle, Charles Warr, and then passed the Crown of Scotland to the Duke of Hamilton, the Sword of State to the Earl of Home, and the Sceptre to the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres.
The last time the ceremony had been enacted before this was in 1822 during the visit of King George IV.
The Queen dressed in “day clothes” for the ceremony, not ceremonial robes, a deliberate decision made by palace officials to avoid the service being interpreted as a coronation.
Reportedly, this was not received well by the media who saw it as a slight.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, wore a field marshall’s uniform.
Later in their Scotland week, the couple visited Glasgow. They also received the keys of Edinburgh Castle.
The Honours of Scotland are not the only Scottish artefacts playing a key role in the coronation of King Charles III.
The Stone of Destiny will also feature in Saturday’s ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
It left Edinburgh Castle a week ago for the first time in more than 25 and has already been placed in the Coronation Chair.
About the Honours of Scotland
The crown was made for James V, who first wore it at the coronation of Queen Mary of Guise in 1540.
Mary Queen of Scots was the first to be crowned using the new crown and sceptre together, in 1543. The origins of the sceptre are less certain – it may have been a papal gift to James IV.
The Honours have had a turbulent past. They were removed from the castle and hidden in 1651-60 to keep them from Oliver Cromwell’s army.
In 1707, following the Act of Union between England and Scotland, they were locked in a chest and sealed away.
In 1818, Sir Walter Scott, the famous novelist, rediscovered the Honours – along with a mysterious silver wand.
The Honours of Scotland and their accompanying exhibition are located on the first floor of the Royal Palace on the east side of Crown Square at Edinburgh Castle.
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