Two arrested as protests hit King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Scottish coronation
King Charles was presented with the Crown of Scotland during a lavish ceremony at St Giles’ Cathedral
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Two people were arrested as protests hit a celebration to mark the King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation in Edinburgh.
The two female protesters, aged 20 and 21, were detained after they allegedly attempted to climb over the safety barrier on the Royal Mile, where fans and campaigners alike had gathered to see the royal procession ahead of the ceremony at St Giles’ Cathedral.
The disruption came as King Charles was presented with the Crown of Scotland during a ceremony of thanksgiving and dedication attended by other senior royals. They included Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, who are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Police Scotland said the two women were arrested in connection with an alleged breach of the peace. The force posted on Twitter: “Our priority is public safety, balanced against people’s rights.”
Campaign group This Is Rigged, which targets the Scottish government and protests about climate change, claimed two of its members were arrested.
The group posted a video where a woman could be heard shouting: “The system is rigged against the people. Why are we giving the honours of Scotland to an old man, before helping our children, our young people’s future?”
Scotland’s separate coronation is a nod to the historical fact that England and Scotland had different monarchs until the crowns were united in 1603.
During the ceremony, King Charles received the nation’s crown jewels, a sceptre and a sword made of gold, silver and gems – known collectively as the Honours of Scotland.
The Crown of Scotland was made for James V of Scotland, who first wore it at the Coronation of Queen Mary of Guise in 1540.
Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, gave a Bible reading from the Old Testament during the service, and Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger carried the Sword of State – which was carried by leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt eight weeks ago when King Charles and Queen Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey.
The ceremony also featured The Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, which was used for the coronation of Scots kings for hundreds of years before being seized by Edward I of England in 1296.
The stone was returned to Scotland in 1996 after being used for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.
The King and Queen heard a stark environmental message for the planet to be safeguarded for future generations and not left “baking to a crisp”.
The Right Reverend Sally Foster-Fulton, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who delivered the sermon, said: “Blessed are we, on the right track are we when we understand that our children do not inherit this Earth from us – we have borrowed it from them.
“And it is our duty to return it still singing and surging and bathing, not baking to a crisp.”
The commemorations ended with a Red Arrows flypast above the Palace of Holyroodhouse as Charles, Camilla, William and Kate watched.