Protesters line Edinburgh’s Royal Mile as procession for Charles III begins

Celebrations to mark the King and Queen’s coronation have begun in Scotland with a people’s procession through the streets of Edinburgh.

Now a service of thanksgiving and dedication for the King and Queen will take place at St Giles’ Cathedral in the Scottish capital, where the monarch will be presented with the Honours of Scotland, the country’s crown jewels.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, will be among those at the event as will the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf will give a reading during the service, while others attending from the world of politics include Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton

The service will feature centuries-old aspects of Scottish royal tradition along with new additions such as pieces of music written specially for the occasion, a psalm sung in Gaelic and the use of passages from the New Testament in Scots.

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, will preach the sermon and then provide a blessing to close the service.

Others involved will include violinist Nicola Benedetti, who will be among the musicians playing, and Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger who will carry the Elizabeth Sword which is being used in place of the Sword of State.

Among the congregation will be individuals from the people’s procession, a group around 100-strong reflecting all aspects of Scottish society from the arts and politics, to education, civil society and business, including charities which the King supports as patron.

Major General Alastair Bruce, governor of Edinburgh Castle, watched the procession set off from the fortress’ esplanade, and it was joined by four mounted elements of the Scots Dragoon Guards, the Pipes & Drums of Robert Gordon’s Combined Cadet Force and the 51 Brigade Cadet Military Band.

Crowds lining crash barriers along Edinburgh’s famous royal mile to watch Corporal Cruachan IV, the Shetland pony regimental mascot of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, leading the men of women in the procession.

Among those represented were NHS Scotland, celebrating its 75th anniversary, the Robert Burns World Federation, College of Master Kilt Tailors, the Scottish Parliament, the Prince’s Trust, Glasgow Life – museums and the Trades Houses of Scotland, from coopers to goldsmiths.

The Honours of Scotland, crown, sword of state and sceptre, will soon follow escorted by military personnel from across the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force and the Royal Company of Archers, who act as the King’s body guard in Scotland.

13:15 People’s Procession begins

13:30 People’s Procession arrives at St Giles’ Cathedral

13:40 The Honours of Scotland leave Edinburgh Castle Esplanade under military escort

13:50 The Honours of Scotland arrive at West Parliament Square by vehicle

14:05 The King and Queen Camilla leave the Palace of Holyroodhouse

14:10 Royal Procession arrives at St Giles’ Cathedral

15:20 Gun salute from Edinburgh Castle before the Royal procession travels back to Holyroodhouse

Crowds gathered early on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with visitors from as far away as New Zealand hoping to catch a glimpse of the King on his way to the service of thanksgiving.

Three sisters, Julie Avery, 51, from Birmingham, Karen Shortiss, 54, from Penicuik, Midlothian, and Linda Halfpenny, 67, from New Zealand, met up in the Scottish capital on Wednesday to see Charles and Camilla making their way to St Giles’ Cathedral for the event.

Mrs Halfpenny has lived in New Zealand for 42 years and is in Britain to see her two sisters.

Her time at home coincided with Charles and Camilla’s visit to Scotland, so she phoned her sisters and asked if they could attend the event with her.

Mrs Avery said: “Linda is over here visiting and last week she sent me a message asking if I could have Wednesday off and could I come up, so I said ‘Yes alright.’

“I came up last night and I’ll go home tomorrow morning to go to work tomorrow afternoon.”

Mrs Shortiss said: “We’ll spend the day together as well.”

Mrs Halfpenny said she had “come a long way” and the sisters wanted a “good position” to be able to see the royal procession.

Also in the crowd were four women from Italy, wearing fascinators and carrying royal family teacups.

They are on a business trip in Scotland and came along at midnight on Tuesday to scope out their position in the crowd, but arrived at 8.30am on Wednesday.

Ciara, from Bologna, said: “We like the royal family and we want to share with our community to show what happened.”

Paula, also from Bologna, added: “We want to show our support to the new King.”

Elsewhere in the crowd was Margaret Jenkins, 62, from East Lothian, who said: “I’m excited to see King Charles, my King, and I know not everyone would agree.”

Royal fans arrived early on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile ahead of the ceremony to mark the King and Queen’s coronation.

They lined the route the royal procession will take to service of thanksgiving and dedication at St Giles’ Cathedral.

Among those those attending were Margaret Jenkins, 62, from East Lothian, who said: “I’m excited to see King Charles, my King, and I know not everyone would agree.”

Anne Connolly, 65, from South Shields, said: “It’s a good day out. We’re looking forward to seeing the King and Camilla.”

Referring to said an area fenced off for protesters outside the cathedral, she said: “They’ve given the protestors the best spot here, the best view. It isn’t fair.”

Fans of the royal family have previously expressed concern for the king over photos in which his fingers appeared excessively red and swollen.

The images have prompted speculation from various members of the medical community, who have suggested the swelling could be caused due to a condition called oedema.

Well-wishers have lined the street of the Royal Mile ahead of the procession at 1pm today.

The procession will be followed by a lavish ceremony where the Kind and Queen will be presented with Scotland’s crown jewels.

Not all Scots will be celebrating as people 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 scheduled a protest rally outside the Scottish parliament to coincide with the coronation events.

“The vast majority of Scotland didn’t care to celebrate the coronation in May, with support for the monarchy at an all-time low in Scotland,” the group said in a statement. “Charles’ perpetual need to celebrate his reign, with all the pomp and pageantry it requires, is a spit in the face to the people struggling with the cost of living.”

Two months after the lavish coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London, Scotland is set to host its own event to mark the new monarch’s accession to the throne.

While Charles and Queen Camilla won’t be crowned a second time Wednesday in Edinburgh, the festivities will include a crown, horse-drawn carriages, mounted cavalry and a flyover by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force’s aerobatic display 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 be presented with the Scottish Honors — the crown, scepter and sword of state once used to crown Scotland’s kings and queens. The Stone of Destiny, an important symbol of Scottish identity, will also be moved to the cathedral for the festivities.

Hundreds of military personnel will march through Edinburgh ahead of a special ceremony where the new King and Queen will be formally presented with the Scottish crown jewels.

On Wednesday (5 July), the King will receive a crown, a sceptre and a sword made of gold, silver and gems – known collectively as the Honours of Scotland – during a service of thanksgiving and dedication at St Giles’ Cathedral.

More than 700 members of the Armed Forces will take part in a procession along the Royal Mile ahead of the ceremony drawn from the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force.

You can watch the ceremony live on The Independent’s YouTube channel here.