Buckingham Palace released photos as King Charles III kicks off Royal Week celebrations with the traditional Ceremony of the Keys in the gardens of the Palace Holyroodhouse.
On Tuesday, June 30, the 77-year-old monarch arrived in Edinburgh via helicopter to his Scottish residence, the Holyrood House, to spend the first week of July as part of Royal Family’s longstanding tradition.
Upon his arrival to formally begin the annual royal celebration of Scottish culture, community and achievements, the King was greeted to a guard of honour provided by Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.
What is the traditional Ceremony of the Keys in the gardens of the Palace Holyroodhouse?
It is a centuries old Royal ceremony, during which the Lord Provost formally welcomes the King to the city and hands him the keys, which the monarch symbolically touches and returns for safekeeping.
Keeping the tradition alive, Charles was presented with the keys by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge, noting, "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 traditional response, King said, "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 monarch also received a royal salute before inspecting a guard of honour of soldiers from the Royal Company of Archers, who serve as the King's ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland.
Shortly after the ceremonial event, the Royal Family’s official Instagram account shared photos of the monarch with a caption, “The King attends the historic Ceremony of the Keys in the Gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.”
“Music was provided by The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and Pipes and Drums of the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland,” it added.
King Charles presents awards to extraordinary Scottish people during an Investiture ceremony
As per the photos released by Royal Family’s official Instagram account, King could be seen presented the prestigious honours to the talented people of Scotland from different fields.
“From the Borders to the Highlands and Islands, His Majesty presented honours to recipients from across Scotland, celebrating their exceptional achievements in fields including public service, charity, business, sports, arts and education,” read the caption.
Just hours before King Charles arrival in Edinburgh, Royal Family shared a reflective post on the Royal Week celebrations of the former monarchs over the years.
Alongside a carousel of photos featuring Charles late mother and the longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was a caption which read, “Each summer during Royal Week, The King continues the longstanding Royal tradition of celebrating Scottish culture and achievements through engagements across the country, using the Palace of Holyroodhouse as his base.
It continued, “Originally founded as an Augustinian monastery in 1128, Holyroodhouse has witnessed centuries of Royal history, acting as the Sovereign’s official residence in Scotland since the 16th Century. Thousands of visitors are welcomed to the Palace each year to explore the historic State Apartments and beautiful gardens.”
