King Charles starts Royal Week with Ceremony of the Keys at Palace of Holyroodhouse
King Charles has been symbolically handed the keys to the city of Edinburgh in a traditional ceremony at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, marking the start of his official visit to Scotland for Royal Week.
The Ceremony of the Keys is a historic event which heralds a week-long celebration of Scottish culture and traditions, attended by the monarch.
At the start of the ceremony, the King first inspected The King’s Bodyguard Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers, at a Guard of Honour in the Holyrood Palace gardens.
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh then formally presented the King with the keys, which the monarch duly returned for safekeeping.
The exchange was: "We, the Lord Provost and the 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."
When returning the keys, the King then replied: "I return these keys, being 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 32nd Regiment of the Royal Artillery fired a 21-gun salute from Edinburgh Castle as the King arrived in the city, while soldiers from Balaklava Company, the 5th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, mounted guard.
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland also performed during the ceremony at Holyroodhouse in the traditional and well-choreographed event.
"Preparing troops for a high-profile ceremonial operation is a meticulous process," said Garrison Sergeant Major, WO1 Davey Hunter of the Scots Guards.
"The hours spent on the parade square practising guard mounts and the arrivals parades sequence are evident in the troops' steadfast performance."
Senior officials and members of the military – including the Governor of Edinburgh, Major General Bob Bruce, Air Officer Scotland Air Commodore Mark Northover and Commodore Paul Dunn, who is the Head of the Royal Navy's Submarine Service – also attended the event.
The King traditionally spends a week based at the Palace of Holyroodhouse every year for Royal Week.
During this time, he and the Queen carry out several official engagements in Scotland.
After the Ceremony of the Keys, the King attended an investiture event for honours recipients.
Later, he hosted a garden party at the palace, alongside the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
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