King presented with keys to Edinburgh at start of Holyrood Week
The ceremony took place on Tuesday morning, shortly after the King and Queen had arrived at the palace by helicopter.
Each year the monarch traditionally spends a week based at Holyroodhouse, an event known as Holyrood Week or Royal Week in Scotland.
Charles touched the keys, which rested on a red cushion held by Edinburgh Lord Provost Robert Aldridge (Jane Barlow/PA)
The King was presented with the keys by Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge, who held them out on a red cushion, which Charles symbolically touched.
Mr Aldridge said to the King: 'We, the Lord Provost and members of the City of Edinburgh Council, welcome Your Majesty to the capital city of your ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland and offer for your gracious acceptance the keys of Your Majesty's good city of Edinburgh.'
In return, Charles gave the traditional reply: 'I return these keys perfectly convinced that they cannot be placed in better hands than those of the Lord Provost and councillors of my good city of Edinburgh.'
Before the ceremony, the palace's garden was transformed into a parade ground and the King met senior military and uniformed figures.
The King met senior military and uniform figures (Aaron Chown/PA)
He then received a royal salute and inspected a Guard of Honour of soldiers from the Royal Company of Archers, who serve as the King's ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland – a role first created in 1822 for King George VI.
Also lined up was the Palace Guard made up of soldiers from Balaklava Company, 5 Scots, and the High Constables of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Pipes and Drums of 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland provided music for the occasion.
The King walked past the Guard of Honour, casting his eye over the service personnel and stopping to talk to some of them, and he also chatted to members of the military bands.
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The Herald Scotland
18 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
King and Queen begin Holyrood Week under guard of ceremonial female bodyguards
King Charles III talks with Annabel Biddulph of the Royal Company of Archers (Jane Barlow/PA) Earlier when the Queen opened Ratho library, she told her hosts the weather was 'cooler' than conditions in England and described the weather in Scotland as a 'drop in temperature'. Scots from a range of backgrounds from NHS workers to the military and charity volunteers were invited to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King and Queen's official residence in the Scottish capital, for the garden party. Annabel Biddulp was one of four female members of the Royal Company of Archers, the Sovereign's Body Guard in Scotland, on duty at the social event with their bows. She described herself as the sixth generation of her family to be an Archer, with her father and uncle also on duty, and said the historic moment was 'absolutely wonderful, so many of my family have been part of the Archers for generations'. King Charles III and Queen Camilla, followed by the Princess Royal, arrive for the Sovereign's Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Jane Barlow/PA) Ms Biddulph was going to celebrate with a 'jolly good party tonight' and said the King mentioned the trusty bow she was holding. 'He asked 'are you a dab hand at that' to which the answer was yes'. The garden party was staged in Holyroodhouse gardens, overlooked by Holyrood Park where Republic had staged a protest spelling out the words 'Not My King' with what appeared to be large pieces of white card that was visible by guests. Charles also chatted to Second World War veteran George McLeod, aged 99, who served as a private with the 4th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers. The King praised Second World War veterans and spoke of the VE Day events held earlier in the year (Jane Barlow/PA) Mr McLeod was joined by his daughter Jan McLeod who said: 'The King spoke about the VE Day events in London and said it was very important to keep the memories alive and how sad it was we were losing veterans.' She added her father was in the German city of Bremen when the war ended in 1945: 'He was in communications and the first to hear the war was over, he's a bit of a joker, and no one believed him at first.'
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
King Charles presented with keys to Edinburgh launching Holyrood Week events
King Charles began his summer visit to Scotland with the Ceremony of the Keys at Holyroodhouse, where he received Edinburgh's keys from the Lord Provost King Charles has officially begun his annual summer stay in Scotland with a traditional Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The King and Queen arrived at the royal residence by helicopter on Tuesday morning, where they were welcomed in a time-honoured display of military pomp and civic tradition. Held in the gardens of Holyroodhouse, the ceremony saw the King presented with the keys to the city of Edinburgh by Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, who offered them on a red cushion as a symbol of the city's loyalty. The Lord Provost addressed the monarch with the customary words: 'We, the Lord Provost and members of the City of Edinburgh Council, welcome Your Majesty to the capital city of your ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland and offer for your gracious acceptance the keys of Your Majesty's good city of Edinburgh.' The King responded with the traditional reply: 'I return these keys perfectly convinced that they cannot be placed in better hands than those of the Lord Provost and councillors of my good city of Edinburgh.' The gardens were transformed into a formal parade ground for the occasion, with the King meeting senior military officials before receiving a royal salute. Charles then inspected a Guard of Honour from the Royal Company of Archers, his ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland. The Company was first formed for King George IV's visit in 1822 and continues to serve during royal occasions north of the border. Also in attendance were the Palace Guard, made up of soldiers from Balaklava Company, 5 Scots, and the High Constables of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Music for the event was provided by the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Pipes and Drums of the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland. A 21-gun salute was fired from Edinburgh Castle by the 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery to mark the King's arrival. As part of Royal Week, also known as Holyrood Week, the King traditionally spends a week based at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, carrying out engagements across Scotland to celebrate Scottish culture, community, and service. While King Charles marked the ceremonial start of his Royal Week in Scotland, the Queen carried out her own engagement celebrating one of the capital's most cherished civic institutions, the public library. Camilla officially opened the newly relaunched Ratho Library in Newbridge, where she met librarians, authors and representatives from Edinburgh's literary community. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In an impromptu speech, she praised libraries as 'wonderful places' that nurture a love of reading across generations. 'From toddlers to pensioners, they manage to inspire a love of reading of books,' she said. 'To actually see a new library like this… I wish a lot of other people would follow your example and open more libraries all over the country, because I think, sadly, a lot of them have been closing down. So to see something as wonderful as this being reopened is all to the credit to all of you who've made it happen.' The Queen, an avid reader and patron of several literary organisations, also chatted with Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn and admitted: 'I'm very partial to crime novels.'
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
King presented with keys to Edinburgh at start of Holyrood Week
The King has been presented with the keys to the city of Edinburgh in a ceremony marking the start of his official stay in Scotland. Charles attended the traditional Ceremony of the Keys in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, his official residence in the Scottish capital. The ceremony took place on Tuesday morning, shortly after the King and Queen had arrived at the palace by helicopter. Each year the monarch traditionally spends a week based at Holyroodhouse, an event known as Holyrood Week or Royal Week in Scotland. The King was presented with the keys by Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge, who held them out on a red cushion, which Charles symbolically touched. Mr Aldridge said to the King: 'We, the Lord Provost and members of the City of Edinburgh Council, welcome Your Majesty to the capital city of your ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland and offer for your gracious acceptance the keys of Your Majesty's good city of Edinburgh.' In return, Charles gave the traditional reply: 'I return these keys perfectly convinced that they cannot be placed in better hands than those of the Lord Provost and councillors of my good city of Edinburgh.' Before the ceremony, the palace's garden was transformed into a parade ground and the King met senior military figures. He then received a royal salute and inspected a Guard of Honour of soldiers from the Royal Company of Archers, who serve as the King's ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland – a role first created in 1822 for King George VI. Also lined up was the Palace Guard made up of soldiers from Balaklava Company, 5 Scots, and the High Constables of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Pipes and Drums of 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland provided music for the occasion. The 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery also fired a 21-gun salute at Edinburgh Castle to mark the King's arrival at the palace. The King walked past the Guard of Honour, casting his eye over the service personnel and stopping to talk to some of them.
