The Royal Mile (Royal Mile) is the central thoroughfare of Edinburgh’s Old Town. It connects the castle, which watches over the city from its imposing height, with Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarchs in the Scottish capital. It’s a narrow gorge lined with stone houses and cobbled sidewalks, where the echo makes every cry of protest sound twice as loud. Carlos III and Camila de Inglaterra could clearly hear the screams of dozens of supporters this Wednesday as they climbed out of their garnet red Rolls Royce — burgundy, the official color of royalty — to enter St Giles Cathedral, telling the anti-monarchist organization Republic: “Not mine King, not my king!” (Republic: Not my king, not my king). There was a police presence along the route but, unlike at the coronation ceremony in London last May, no attempt was made to hide the protests behind metal panels and their organizers were not arrested. And the BBC has been generous in showing the presence of dissidents or making their slogans heard.
Along with Carlos and Camila, the Princes of Wales William and Catherine traveled to the Scottish capital.
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The Edinburgh ceremony is popularly referred to as the ‘Scottish Coronation’, when in fact it is not. There is only one coronation, and that of Carlos III. took place at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The monarch is attending Holyrood Week these days, dedicated to celebrating Scottish culture, traditions, history and pride as a nation. In that sense, the consecration of the new king is something of a finishing touch. Before arriving at the cathedral, Carlos and Camila had what are known as the Scottish Honors, Britain’s oldest crown jewels, aboard another Rolls Royce. The Crown, Scepter and Sword of State or Elizabethan Sword. The Scottish insignia with which Mary I. or James VI. were crowned. Hidden in the castle for centuries to save it from the Republican wrath of Oliver Cromwell, the jewels were rediscovered in 1818 by a group of explorers that included the writer Walter Scott, Scotland’s symbol par excellence.
Kate Middleton, William of England, Charles III. and Camila during Thanksgiving service. AARON CHOWN (AFP)
“All of this is an essential part of what makes a nation a nation. It is something inherent in their identity, their history and their culture. And Carlos is very proud of the British and Scottish culture and tradition,” the history professor at the University of St. Andrews defended enthusiastically on the BBC.
As with the London ceremony, a king with traditionalism is aware of the need to modernize and popularize monarchical rites, however ancient, in homeopathic doses. The so-called Procession of the People, made up of school teachers, firefighters, members of the coastguard, doctors, nurses, postal workers and even an immigrant who has been granted the right to asylum in Scottish territory, is demonstrated along the Royal Mile before the royal procession left the castle . Behind them 700 members of the armed forces and dozens of white horses from the Royal Stables in Edinburgh. Thousands of citizens took part in the parade on both sides of the street. Out of enthusiasm, curiosity or monarchical devotion. Each with their own reasons, but part of a minority in a city that, like London, was enjoying the holidays but not effervescent at the arrival of the monarchs.
Protests by the anti-monarchy organization Republic: “Not my king, not my king!” This Wednesday, July 5, near the cathedral in the Scottish capital. PHIL NOBLE (AFP)
Old rite, new guests
The three symbols of power – the crown, scepter and sword – were given separately to Charles III. who swore an oath of allegiance and was bound to follow and abide by Scottish law. “With the help of God, I promise,” the monarch repeated each time.
Shortly before, Scotland’s Prime Minister Humza Yousaf, a Muslim of Pakistani descent and leader of the pro-independence SNP, read a psalm from the Old Testament. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hands.” Yousaf has just resumed his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon’s plans to move forward with the consultation on Scotland’s secession from the rest of the UK. But the party, which is under investigation for alleged fiscal irregularities, is experiencing days of uncertainty and weakness. The reason for Scottish independence lies in a necessary downtime. And oddly enough, the SNP’s plans for separation always included the idea that Scotland would remain part of the British monarchy and that Elizabeth II (then) or Charles III. (today) would continue to be their heads of state.
Lord Lyon, King of Arms Joseph Morrow next to the so-called Stone of Destiny, the symbol of Scottish sovereignty. Jane Barlow (AP)
Representatives of Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism also took part in the thanksgiving service in the cathedral. Those in attendance at the ceremony in St Giles sang “God Save the King” together after the monarchs were presented with the Stone of Destiny, the 150kg stone on which Scottish kings were crowned. The symbol of Scottish sovereignty. The same stone left in Westminster Abbey that a group of Scottish students broke in two trying to steal in 1950. The same stone Tony Blair returned to Edinburgh Castle after Scotland’s political autonomy in 1996. The same returned to London on May 6 and was crowned by Charles III. placed again under the throne of Edward the Confessor.
Twenty-one cannon shots fired from the castle’s parade ground and the sound of the bagpipes accompanied Carlos of England and Camila on their journey to Holyrood Palace. Gone were the screams of protest in the streets, mingled with the music, street noise, and a certain civilized indifference.