Scotland’s royal week: 29 pictures that capture all the pageantry

King Charles III and Queen Camilla leaving the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

King Charles III greets First Minister John Swinney during an audience at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Robert Wainwright, from Isle Of Coll, Founder, Doddie Aid, is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

From Holyrood, attention turned to honours and soft power. At an investiture ceremony in the palace, the King conferred awards on figures ranging from scientists to musicians, continuing a pattern of using Royal Week to spotlight Scottish achievement across public life, culture and sport. Later, a garden party in the grounds brought together hundreds of guests from charities, public services and community organisations, hosted by the King and Queen alongside the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal. For supporters, these gatherings are a tangible way the monarchy “reaches out”; for critics, they can look like a carefully staged exercise in royal public relations, but their guest lists do map onto the civic infrastructure that keeps the country running.

One of the most closely watched encounters came when Queen Camilla welcomed Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling to Holyrood to mark the start of the week. Palace briefings emphasised their shared passion for books and their “deep commitment” to getting children reading for pleasure, stressing the importance of access to books in opening up opportunities for young people. Against a backdrop of polarised debate around Rowling’s views and wider culture‑war politics, the meeting signalled the Queen’s continuing interest in literacy and the arts, but also risked drawing the royals closer to disputes they generally try to float above.

George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, and Lord David Steel arriving for the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral (Image: Jane Barlow/PA wire)

Queen Camilla during an audience with JK Rowling, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Queen Camilla and King Charles III attend the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh (Image: Aaron Chown/ PA wire)

King Charles III during the Ceremony of the Keys during Holyrood Week (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Mid‑week, the focus shifted to formal constitutional symbolism with the King’s participation in a service for the Order of the Thistle at St Giles’ Cathedral, joined by senior royals in Edinburgh’s Old Town. The Order is Scotland’s highest order of chivalry, and its pageantry – green robes, heraldry and solemn procession – is one of the clearest visual reminders that the Crown in Scotland has its own distinct history and institutions. Later in the week, the King travelled south to Jedburgh in the Borders to watch a procession at the Jethart Callant festival and was invited to start the traditional game of hand ba’, a rough‑and‑ready street sport that has been played there since 1704. By stepping into the rhythms of a small-town common riding, Charles placed the monarchy within the fabric of local customs that long predate the Union.

Holyrood Week has always been part ceremony, part charm offensive. Royal aides frame it as an annual celebration of Scottish culture, achievement and community, with the monarch spending a week north of the border meeting “Scots from all walks of life”. For nationalists, no amount of tartan‑tinged outreach can resolve the underlying constitutional argument; for unionists, the visibility of the Crown in Scotland offers a unifying symbol at a time of political flux. This year’s programme – combining military ritual, parliamentary symbolism, literary diplomacy and a muddy Borders ball game – reflects a monarchy trying to show it understands Scotland as something more than a backdrop for summer pageantry.

Evelyn Graham, from Perth, Recording Artist, is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

The Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, and the Duke of Edinburgh, leaving the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Dr Ann Budge after being made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) during an investiture ceremony at the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Queen Camilla during her visit to see the exhibition of Chaos and Control, Printmaking in Scotland Now, as part of the bicentenary celebrations for the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture (RSA) in Edinburgh. (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh, stand on the steps at the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

King Charles III during a Garden Party in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

Queen Camilla speaking to guests during a Garden Party in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit Graeme Souness and his wife Karen (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

The Princess Royal speaking to guests during a Garden Party in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

King Charles III speaks guests during a Garden Party in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

Graeme Souness and his wife Karen (right) speaking to First Minister John Swinney during a Garden Party in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

Details of a guests handbag during a Garden Party (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

King Charles III speaks with fundraiser Isla Grist during a Garden Party in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

The Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, departs the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh (Image: Lisa Ferguson/The Scotsman/PA Wire)

Queen Camilla speaking to guests during a Garden Party in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

Queen Camilla speaks to Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit Graeme Souness (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

Guests during a Garden Party attended by members of the royal family in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Image: Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

A helicopter flies over Jedburgh ahead of King Charles III’s visit to the town in the Scottish Borders, as part of Holyrood Week (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Children waving at the helicopter King Charles III is arriving in for his visit to Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

King Charles III viewing horns during visit to Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Children await the arrival of King Charles III for his visit to Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders, as part of the King’s visit to Scotland for Holyrood Week. (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

King Charles III waves during visit to Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders, as part of the King’s visit to Scotland (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)