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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Jon Brady

King Charles III is crowned to applause in Edinburgh as gun salute rings out from castle

Scots broke out into spontaneous applause in Princes Street Gardens as King Charles III was formally coronated. Edinburgh Castle fired off a 21-gun salute as the King was crowned with St Edward's Crown in Westminster Abbey at around noon.

An estimated crowd of 1,500 people watched in silence as the Crown was placed on his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. As Welby proclaimed "God Save The King", members of 105 Regiment Royal Artillery fired the salute, with members of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 Scots) taking up position.

Castle guard musicians from Reserve Bands of The Royal Regiment of Scotland and adult instructors of the Army Cadet Force performed God Save The King following the salute.

Those watching from Edinburgh city centre filled out the Ross Bandstand, as well as surrounding paths, and some even watched through the fence posts on Princes Street. After the first explosive gunshot rang out, they broke into applause, while some cheered.

One passing voice was heard to shout "Not My King" from the direction of Princes Street. However, there did not appear to be any reaction to the subdued outcry.

Aleka Owens with her homemade crown (Ross Turpie/Daily Record)

Among those watching the ceremony were Ailsa Roddie, 34, and her daughter Aleka, four, who brought a jewel-studded gold crown she had made at nursery. She proudly told the Record: "We laughed, when the cannons went boom, because it was so loud. I even had an ice cream."

Mum Ailsa added: "We thought we would like to come see a historic event, so Aleka could say that she watched it. It's better than watching it at home. We're not big on the royal family but we followed the Jubilee celebrations and the Queen's funeral, so we thought we'd be part of this too. We clapped, and we waved our flags [when Charles was coronated] because what harm does it do?

"The royals are part of the fabric of everyday life, aren't they? I think Charles will be a different monarch, and I support his environmental beliefs which are increasingly important. I'm optimistic that he can be a force for good."

Ollie and Emily Grant turned out with Union Jack bowlers and flags (Ross Turpie/Daily Record)

Karra Grant, 39, is by her own admission not a supporter of the royal family. But she thought kids Emily, five, and Ollie, six, deserved to see an event of huge historical significance.

She said: "My husband and I thought we couldn't impress our views on them. We've talked about it and it was our choice to bring them. We brought our dog and forgot about the fact there'd be a 21-gun salute. He was not a fan."

Ollie added: "Bang, bang, bang."

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