King Charles III and Queen Camilla attended a ceremony in Edinburgh on Wednesday to mark their recent coronation, and were greeted in the Scottish capital by a crowd of supporters and some anti-monarchy campaigners.
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As tradition dictates, the royal couple left Holyroodhouse Palace in procession to attend a service at St Giles Cathedral.
The attributes of royal power in Scotland – the crown of Scotland, the scepter and the sword of state, known as “the honors of Scotland” – were presented to the sovereign.
AFP
Thousands had gathered to watch as the royal couple, accompanied by Prince William and his wife Kate, filed by as 21 guns were fired from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle.
AFP
Scotland holds a special place for the British royal family, where the late Queen Elizabeth II was a regular resident and where she died at her castle, Balmoral, in September.
But support for the monarchy is weaker in Scotland, which is led by an independent government, than in the UK as a whole.
When Scottish Prime Minister Humza Yousaf, an open Republican, was present at the cathedral, several elected officials from the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) criticized the ceremony.
And as with the previous voyages of Charles III. since his accession, the king has also been greeted by anti-monarchy activists with “Not My King” signs in hand.
AFP
The arrival of Charles, less popular than his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, awakened the republican current in the country.
During his coronation on May 6, hundreds of pro-republic protesters rallied in Trafalgar Square to demand the abolition of the monarchy.
Six Republican group activists, including their leader Graham Smith, were arrested before being released at the end of the day, prompting criticism of police actions.