LONDON (AP) — Two months after the lavish coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London, Scotland will hold its own event to mark the new monarch’s accession to the throne.
While Charles and Queen Camilla will not be crowned a second time in Edinburgh on Wednesday, the festivities will include a crown, horse-drawn carriages, mounted cavalry and a fly-over by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force’s aerobatic team, as Scotland celebrates its unique relationship with the monarchy.
The focal point of the event is a service of thanksgiving at St. Giles Cathedral, where Charles will receive Scottish honors – the crown, scepter and sword of state once used to crown kings and queens from Scotland. The Stone of Destiny, an important symbol of Scottish identity, will also be moved into the cathedral for the festivities.
The presence of these icons of Scottish national identity is a mark of respect for a country fiercely proud of its history and where the desire for independence of some has never died out, even if it is linked to England and in the United Kingdom since 1707. The Scottish national government is led by the Scottish National Party, which calls for a second referendum on independence.
“This is not a coronation,” said George Gross, a coronation expert at King’s College London. ”But it’s very symbolic in that Scotland has its own identity.”
Wednesday’s events in Edinburgh are a continuation of Charles’ efforts to cement ties with the people of the four nations that make up the UK as he tries to show that the 1,000-year-old monarchy remains relevant in modern Britain. Shortly after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, last September, Charles traveled to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales before attending the state funeral in London.
Just as May’s coronation ceremony gave a nod to the multicultural nature of Britain today, Wednesday’s church service will include a psalm sung in Gaelic. Charles will also receive a new sword made by Scottish craftsmen and named after Elizabeth. The sword will be used in place of the current Sword of State, which was made in 1507 and is too fragile to be used in the ceremony.
But some Scots will not celebrate as people across the UK face a cost of living crisis fueled by high food and energy costs.
The group, Our Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state in Scotland, has planned a protest rally outside the Scottish parliament to coincide with the coronation events.
“The vast majority of Scotland did not care to celebrate the coronation in May, with support for the monarchy at its lowest in Scotland,” the group said in a statement. “Charles’ perpetual need to celebrate his reign, with all the pomp and pageantry that that entails, is a spit in the faces of people struggling with the cost of living.”
The coronation festivities will begin in the early afternoon with a popular procession that will travel the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to St. Giles Cathedral. The procession will include more than 100 people representing charities and public service groups such as the Scottish Ambulance Service, the Royal Scottish Highland Games Association and the Girls’ Brigade.
The Scottish Honors will follow behind escorted by police and military units.
Soon after, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiments and a collection of military bands will depart from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King’s official residence in Edinburgh. Charles and Camilla will then leave the palace.
The hour-long thanksgiving service is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. (1:15 p.m. GMT). It will be followed by a 21-gun salute and an overflight of the Red Arrows.
The festivities will provide an opportunity for royal fans to celebrate Charles’ coronation while paying homage to Scotland’s unique history.
Historically an independent country, Scotland was first linked to England in 1603 after the death of Queen Elizabeth I. Because the Queen had no children, the crown passed to her cousin James VI who was already King of Scotland, uniting the two countries under a sovereign partition.
But Scotland remained independent until 1707, when lawmakers from both countries approved the Act of Union, which created the United Kingdom.
The public festivities are likely to be personally emotional for Charles, who will be standing in much the same place where he stood vigil last year, watching over his mother’s coffin with the crown of Scotland resting on its lid.
“I think it would be extraordinary if it had no impact on him or on a human being,” said Gross, a visiting scholar in theology at King’s College London.
“It’s very important to bring the union together, just like after the death of his mother, after the death of the late queen, he did various services in the union, in Wales, in Northern Ireland, in Scotland, etc So he will do the same here. It is to unite things. »
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