King Charles led Scotland’s “second coronation” procession along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. True to tradition dating back to the “Union of the Crowns” in the 17th century, and following in his mother’s footsteps seventy years ago, the monarch received the “Honours of Scotland” on Wednesday in a more discreet and austere ceremony than the one held almost two months ago in Westminster.
The journey was the same as Elizabeth II’s first funeral, between Holyrood Palace and St. Giles Cathedral, five days after her death at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022. Charles III will precisely receive a new sword in tribute to his mother (baptized as “Elizabeth sword”), in addition to the royal crown of James V and a sceptre, in an act loaded with symbolism and at a particularly critical moment in Scotland.
The ceremony was preceded by a “people’s procession” which set out from Edinburgh Castle. In contrast to the dark clouds of the first coronation, the second ceremony in the Scottish capital took place under a splendid sun and to the beat marked by the pipers of the royal regiment.
Hundreds of Scots lined up on the royal mile to see the monarch, where Republican protesters could be seen (and heard) chanting “Not my king!” Support for the monarchy has fallen since the death of Elizabeth II and is increasingly perceived as “an English thing”. According to a Focaldata survey, 45% of Scots support the crown, compared to 36% who support an elected head of state.
During the “royal week of Scotland”, which started this week, Carlos III has had to dispatch with a main minister, Humza Yousaf, manifestly a republican and independentist. The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) who picked up the baton from Nicola Sturgeon, peppered by the scandal of the illegal financing of the party, has left the holding of a second independence referendum up in the air.