King Charles has been given a huge warm welcome to Scotland ahead of his second Coronation celebrations.
The monarch will be presented with the Honours of Scotland which are Britain's oldest crown jewels during a service of thanksgiving and dedication on Wednesday at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.
A brand new sword in honour of the late Queen will be presented to Charles as well as the crown, sceptre and sword of state.
Named after his late mother, the Elizabeth sword was commissioned at the end of 2022 because the existing 16th century sword is too fragile to handle, the Mirror reports.
The Stone of Destiny that was given back by Prime Minister John Major to the Scots after 700 years will also be placed in St Giles' Cathedral for the service after playing an important role in the Coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
The new British Sovereign is traditionally presented with the Honours after their official Coronation, which took place last month.
Before the service, a people's procession of around 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 welcomed to line the Royal Mile in order to view both processions.
Rehearsals were held on the Royal Mile yesterday ahead of the big day on Wednesday.
A 21-gun salute will fire from Edinburgh Castle at the end of the service at St Giles' before the royal procession travels back to the palace to watch a spectacular RAF flypast finale by the Red Arrows.
As preparations were seen taking place in the Capital, there's no doubt that the King will be reflecting on his last visit to the church before he became monarch, which was for the late Queen's death last September.
The King and his three siblings stood by their mother Elizabeth II's coffin, in the Vigil of the Princes after the Queen was transported there from her beloved Balmoral home.
The service on Wednesday will feature centuries-old aspects of Scottish royal tradition along with some new additions such as pieces of music written specifically to mark 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 this week in Edinburgh to honour the Coronation of the King and Queen.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, less commonly 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 give a blessing to conclude the service.
Other notable mentions 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 also provide a reading during the service while other Scottish politicians attending 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 have five new pieces of music playing which were 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 also specially written by Mealor for the occasion, will be sung by Joy Dunlop, in recognition of Scotland’s linguistic heritage.
Dame Katherine will have the honour of carrying the Elizabeth Sword while Lady Dorrian, the Lord Justice Clerk will hold the sceptre and the Duke of Hamilton will bear 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.”
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