King Charles was presented with the Scottish crown jewels in a historic Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication in Edinburgh on Wednesday to celebrate his coronation.
Wearing the Order of the Thistle mantles, King Charles and Queen Camilla, dressed in a white Bruce Oldfield dress, were honored with a 21-gun salute and an RAF Flypast. During the service at St Giles’ Cathedral, where Queen Elizabeth’s body lay in rest following her death in September, the king received the Crown of Scotland, the Sceptre and the Sword of State of the Honours of Scotland symbolizing his commitment to the nation while the service itself focused heavily on Scotland’s diversity and climate change.
While the highlight of the day included a royal procession and a dramatic flypast, perhaps the most iconic image was a photograph taken in the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse of King Charles and Queen Camilla alongside Prince William and Princess Kate. It is an image the King hopes will send out a clear message to the Scottish people about the future of the monarchy.
“For Charles, it was very important that during today’s service he had his son and heir by his side,” a royal source told Vanity Fair. “While the coronation focused on the crowning of the king and the queen, this was a moment to project the future of the monarchy to Scotland. The Waleses shared center stage and this was very deliberate.”
The Princes and Princess of Wales, dressed in an eye-catching blue Catherine Walker coat dress, are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland and their prominence at Wednesday’s service was strategic. The late Queen was keen for William to have an active role in Scotland and the prince accompanied his grandmother to Scotland for Royal Week in 2021. She also approved that William be appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland that same year.
The source added, “Queen Elizabeth took William to Scotland on various occasions during her reign because she wanted William to have a connection to the country she held dear, and the King is doing the same.”
As Vanity Fair previously reported, Charles and Camilla will be taking up residence at Balmoral this summer and it is expected that they will be joined by the Waleses. William and Kate have a close connection with Scotland – they met as students at University of St Andrews – and are keen to foster close links with the country.
While Wednesday’s ceremony was packed with royal supporters, the royal procession (which began at Edinburgh Castle and ended at the cathedral) was also marred by some 200 activists booing “Not my King” and holding anti-monarchy placards along the Royal Mile. Two people were arrested for breaching the peace.
According to recent polls, Scottish support for the crown is around 10 to 15 percentage points lower than in England. Sources close to the king say the potential break-up of Great Britain and a referendum on Scottish independence is one of the issues that concerns Charles the most. On Wednesday, however, he had the backing of the majority and seemed most thrilled with the crowds that did turn out to support him.
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Katie Nicholl
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