The King has been welcomed to Scotland ahead of his second coronation.
Charles will be presented with the Honours of Scotland - the country’s crown jewels - during a service of thanksgiving and dedication on Wednesday at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
A new sword will be presented to the King as well as the crown, sceptre and sword of state, the oldest crown jewels in the United Kingdom.
Named after his late mother, the Elizabeth sword was commissioned because the existing 16th Century sword is too fragile to handle.
The Stone of Destiny, that was given back by Prime Minister John Major to the Scots after 700 years, will also be in St Giles’ Cathedral for the service after playing a significant part in the Coronation at Westminster Abbey.
New British monarchs are traditionally presented with the Honours after their official coronation, which took place on May 6.
Before the service, a people’s procession of about 100 community groups will collect the honours from Edinburgh Castle.
The procession will then be escorted to the cathedral by the Royal Regiment of Scotland and its Shetland pony mascot, Corporal Cruachan IV, supported by cadet musicians from the combined cadet force pipes and drums.
Meanwhile, a royal procession will travel from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the cathedral, with members of the public lining the Royal Mile to view both processions.
Rehearsals were held on the Royal Mile yesterday (MON) ahead of the events.
A 21-gun salute will fire from Edinburgh Castle at the end of the St Giles’ service, before the royal procession travels back to the palace, to witness a flypast by the Red Arrows.
As preparations were seen taking shape in the Scottish capital, the King will no doubt reflect on his first return to the church since the late Queen’s passing last September.
The King and his siblings stood by the coffin of their mother, Elizabeth II, in the Vigil of the Princes, after the Queen was brought from her Balmoral home.
The service on Wednesday will feature centuries-old aspects of Scottish royal tradition along with new additions such as pieces of music written specially for the occasion, a psalm sung in Gaelic and the use of passages from the New Testament in Scots.
The order of service was unveiled for the event in Edinburgh this week to mark the coronation of the King and Queen.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, will be among those at the event.
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, will preach the sermon and then provide a blessing to close the service.
Others involved will include violinist Nicola Benedetti, who will be among the musicians playing, and Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger who will carry the Elizabeth Sword which is being used in place of the Sword of State.
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf will give a reading during the service, while others attending from the world of politics include Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton.
Rev Calum I MacLeod, minister of St Giles’, will provide the Welcome and Call to Worship at the start of the service.
He said: “It is a great honour and privilege to welcome their majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla to St Giles’ on such a joyous occasion.
“His majesty has visited the cathedral many times and this will certainly be a fitting place to have a service of thanksgiving and dedication during his majesty’s first visit to Scotland following the coronation in May.
“St Giles’ was probably founded by David I in around 1124 so there has been a strong royal connection since the beginning, nearly 900 years ago.”
The service will feature five new pieces of music commissioned to mark the occasion including Balmoral Flourishes, by composer Paul Mealor, which will be performed by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry.
A Gaelic Psalm by Mealor, written especially for the service, will be sung by Joy Dunlop, in recognition of Scotland’s linguistic heritage.
There will also be contributions from other faiths and Christian denominations.
Dame Katherine will carry the Elizabeth Sword; Lady Dorrian, the Lord Justice Clerk will hold the sceptre and the Duke of Hamilton the Crown of Scotland.
Mrs Foster-Fulton said: “What a joy to welcome their majesties the King and Queen back home to Scotland and to participate in the national Service of thanksgiving and dedication.”
