King Charles presented with keys to Edinburgh launching Holyrood Week events

Daily Record

16 hours ago

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.'