King Charles III Receives Edinburgh Keys and Opens Scottish Parliament Session

King Charles III arrived in Edinburgh by helicopter on 30 June 2026 to begin Royal Week, an annual series of events celebrating Scottish culture and institutions. His first engagement was the Ceremony of the Keys held in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. A guard of honour from Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland greeted the King upon arrival.

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, presented the keys of the city on a red cushion. King Charles III symbolically touched the keys and returned them. " Before the ceremony the palace gardens were prepared as a parade ground.

The King met senior military and uniformed figures, received a royal salute and inspected a guard of honour from the Royal Company of Archers. Music was provided by the band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Pipes and Drums of 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.

On Saturday King Charles III will open the new session of the Scottish Parliament, the seventh since its establishment in 1999.

The Crown of Scotland will be escorted down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland brass ensemble will perform a fanfare in the debating chamber. The King will later hold an investiture ceremony and garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse with Queen Camilla, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal.

Among those receiving honours are forensic scientist Lorna Dawson, awarded a damehood, New Seekers singer Eve Graham, who receives an MBE, and Simon Milne, regius keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, who receives a knighthood.