King and Queen to receive Honours of Scotland

(Photo: Historic Environment Scotland)

King Charles and Queen Camilla are to be presented with the Honours of Scotland - the formal name for the Scottish Crown Jewels - at a service in Edinburgh today. 

The service at St Giles Cathedral will be attended by First Minister Humza Yousaf, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger, and representatives of other Christian denominations and faiths.

The sermon will be delivered by the Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

The service follows the King's coronation on 6 May in Westminster Abbey and will incorporate centuries of Scottish royal tradition, with passages read from the New Testament in Scots and a Psalm sung in Gaelic. It will also include new music specially written for the occasion.

"What a joy to welcome their Majesties The King and Queen back home to Scotland and to participate in the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication on the 5 July," said Rev Foster-Fulton. 

St Giles is believed to have been founded by King David I around the year 1124 and has had a royal connection ever since.

The Very Rev Prof David Fergusson, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, said he was "delighted" that the King and Queen were being presented with the Honours of Scotland. 

"For many centuries, these regalia have been used at ceremonial occasions in Scotland," he said. 

"The King's deep love of Scotland is well documented, and a National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication is a welcome opportunity for people to gather together in a moment of celebration.

"Following her coronation in 1953, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth also took part in a National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St Giles'.

"Our prayers will be with the King and Queen on their visit to Edinburgh."

The Very Rev Dr Angus Morrison, chaplain-in-ordinary to the King, said: "There is no doubt that here in Scotland, King Charles and Queen Camilla will receive a right royal welcome.

"The King's connections with Scotland are lifelong, deep and extensive. Like his mother, our late Queen, and indeed the whole royal family, King Charles has a great love for this country."

He added, "The National Service will be a meaningful and moving occasion, marking a new chapter in the relationship of our King and Queen to the country and people of Scotland they hold so dear."