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King Charles and Queen Camilla are currently visiting Scotland, where they are undertaking the traditional round of annual royal engagements forming the country's official "Royal Week."
This yearly schedule of events sees the monarch take up residence in Edinburgh's Palace of Holyroodhouse, the primary Scottish royal residence dating back to the 17th century. There they host investitures, garden parties, ministerial meetings and charity engagements for the people of Scotland.
This year marks King Charles' first Royal Week as sovereign and comes after he was crowned in the historic coronation service at Westminster Abbey in May. As such, this year's Royal Week contains a unique ceremony, officially presenting Charles with the Royal Honours of Scotland as monarch. The event has been described by the British press as the king's "Scottish coronation."
Here Newsweek looks at the ceremony's significance, the history of the Royal Honours of Scotland and, importantly, who has made the guest list.
When and Where Will King Charles' Scottish Coronation Celebration Take Place?
The official name for the ceremony King Charles will undertake to mark his accession to the throne in Scotland is "A National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for Their Majesties The King and Queen on the occasion of the Presentation of the Royal Honours of Scotland."
This service will take place on Wednesday, July 5 at 2:15 p.m. local time in St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh.
The cathedral is a short distance from the Palace of Holyroodhouse and is where a special lying-in-state commemoration was held in September 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The service is a formal investiture of Charles with the royal regalia of Scotland, known as the "honours," and takes the form of a traditional Church of Scotland service. Unlike the Church of England, Charles' position as monarch does not make him head of the Church of Scotland, thus he attends the service as a member of the congregation like everyone else.
The service will feature an official procession through the cathedral with Charles and Queen Camilla forming its center point, amid representatives of the Scottish nobility, members of the orders of chivalry, politicians and heads of the country's academic institutions.
The content of Charles' ceremony is expected to reflect a similar event held for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on her first official visit to Scotland after her crowning at Westminster Abbey in 1953.
Who is Going to King Charles' Scottish Coronation Celebration?
The congregation for the royal ceremony at St Giles' Cathedral will be made up mostly from prominent members of Scottish society, reflecting more widely the diverse industries and communities that make up the nation.
Apart from Charles and Camilla, just two other members of the royal family have been announced as attending the ceremony; Prince William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Though known generally by their Wales titles, while in Scotland the prince and princess are referred to by their principle Scottish titles, that of Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.
The royal couple will take part in the royal procession through the cathedral at the start of the ceremony, though are not expected to play any further role in the service itself.
Also in attendance at the ceremony will be members of the Scottish parliament, including the country's First Minister Humza Yousaf.
What are the Royal Honours of Scotland?
The Honours of Scotland are a collection of regalia, colloquially known as the Scottish Crown Jewels.
Dating from the late 15th and early 16th century, the honours comprise of a crown, scepter and sword. These are not considered part of the British Crown Jewels, which are housed at the Tower of London. Instead, they are permanently kept in Scotland as part of a condition laid out in the Acts of Union of 1707, which saw England and Scotland come together to form a single united kingdom.
England and Scotland have shared a monarch since 1603 when King James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne from his cousin Queen Elizabeth I, who did not have any children of her own.
The golden crown of Scotland was made in 1540 and was used by Mary Queen of Scots at her coronation in 1543, together with the scepter that is believed to have been a gift to King James IV from Pope Alexander VI in 1494.
The Scottish sword of state was a gift from Pope Julius II presented to King James IV in 1507. In 2022, the sword was considered too fragile for continued use and so a new sword was commissioned, with King Charles being the first monarch to be presented with it.
The crown of Scotland was last used publicly following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, where it was placed on her coffin during her lying-in-state at St Giles' Cathedral in 2022.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more