Scottish Coronation of King Charles III.
Protests, prayers and a new sword for the king
In Edinburgh, as part of a service in which King Charles III. was crowned again, numerous opponents of the monarchy also arrived.
© imago images/Avalon.red
King Charles III has again been symbolically crowned in Scotland. However, the celebrations were much smaller than in May.
King Charles III (74) has again been symbolically crowned as part of Holyrood Week in Scotland. After the British monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla (75), were crowned in London on May 6, Charles was presented with the royal regalia of Scotland on July 5 in Edinburgh. However, there were protests during the celebrations.
Far less pomp than in England
The celebration was not as grand as the coronation in England. While almost the entire family was there in May and numerous international royals and politicians traveled to London, the service in Edinburgh, Scotland, was smaller. In addition to heir to the throne Prince William (41) and his wife Kate (41), in Scotland is known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, and among other guests, Scottish politicians such as Douglas Ross (40) and Alex Cole-Hamilton (45) were there.
The service began at around 3:15 p.m. German time. Humza Yousaf (38), First Minister of Scotland, therefore read from the Old Testament during the service. Joy Dunlop then sang a Gaelic psalm, among other things, the violinist Nicola Benedetti (35) played “Soay” from the “Lost Songs of St. Kilda” with an Honors of Scotland ensemble and Sally Foster-Fulton gave the sermon.
Around 3:45 p.m became King Charles III. finally the Scottish crown jewels, the royal insignia. These include a crown and scepter as well as a sword of state. A sword from the 16th century, which is part of the collection, is now too fragile, it was said in advance. Therefore a new sword had been made, the “Elizabeth Sword”, named after his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022).
A “historic moment”
After a prayer for the king, a song commissioned by the monarch for the service was sung by Karen Cargill, 47, and the Ayoub Sisters. Among other things, blessings for Charles followed – and a reference to the “Stone of Destiny”, the “Stone of Providence”. The presence of the stone is a “historic moment in the life of Scotland”, quoted the “BBC”. The Scottish Coronation Stone was also brought to London for the coronation in May. The national anthem finally concluded the service.
At around 4.15pm Charles, Camilla, William and Kate exited the church and made their quick way back towards Holyroodhouse Palace to a 21 gun salute from Edinburgh Castle. Again and again, loud protests could be heard before and after the coronation, alongside the cheers of Royal fans. Opponents of the monarchy protested, among other things, with signs and “Not My King” – (Eng. “Not my king”) and boos.