King Charles III has been presented with Scotland's crown jewels in Edinburgh in a ceremony to mark his Coronation.

He received the crown and sceptre which form part of the Honours of Scotland.

The national thanksgiving service at St Giles' Cathedral also featured a new sword named after the late Queen Elizabeth.

Before the service, the crown jewels were brought from Edinburgh Castle to St Giles' in a procession down the Royal Mile involving about 100 people from various aspects of Scottish life.

More than 700 members of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force were part of the procession.

The event was rounded off by a 21-gun salute at Edinburgh Castle and a Red Arrows flypast.

Protesters chanted "not my king" gathered on Edinburgh's Royal Mile ahead of the thanksgiving service.

A handful of protesters were arrested.

Another anti-monarchy group hosted a rally outside Holyrood, which was attended by Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater.

That concludes our coverage of the thanksgiving and dedication. The editors were Paul McLaren and Heather Sharp, and the writers were Bryn Palmer, Craig Hutchison and Antoinette Radford. Thank you for joining us.

James Cheyne
Reporting from Edinburgh

You can see just how close pro- and anti-monarchy protesters were to each other outside St Giles' Cathedral.

One side was shouting "not my King", the other side was shouting "yes, he is".

Through a megaphone, one of the leaders of the anti-monarchy protest asked his group to be respectful when the People's Procession went by, reminding them it was made up of ordinary people.

He added: "Then when the king comes, we can let loose!"

David Cowan
BBC Scotland, home affairs correspondent

A small group of protesters on the Royal Mile have been arrested after chanting at the King and Queen as they were driven back from St Giles' Cathedral.

The group were waving a banner saying "the palace should be turned into social housing".

Onlookers said police officers spoke to them but then arrested them when they started swearing.

They were led into Canongate Kirk, which is the local church for the Palace of Holyroodhouse and a place regularly attended by the late Queen.

Rev Dr Amos Chewachong, from Newport on Tay Parish Church, was one of today's officiating ministers.

"I am really deeply honoured to be asked to officiate at such a significant event," he said.

He said it was a "huge privilege" to be part of the event and said he felt "really elated".

"It is the first time for me to see the King and Queen and I was really nervous at the start but I was really happy. When the monarch was blessed it was an important moment for me."

"I am here because I am from the Commonwealth as I am from Cameroon," he added.

We're now seeing the Red Arrows flypast after the service for King Charles.

The King and Queen and Duke and Duchess of Rothesay are watching on from the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Nine Hawk jets from the Royal Air Force's aerobatic team flew past in a V formation, streaming blue, red and white colour behind them.

Around 70 aircraft took part in a flypast in London for the King's birthday in June.

Protesters chanting "not my king" gathered in Edinburgh ahead of King Charles' thanksgiving service.

Republican as well as royalist activists lined the Royal Mile where a cavalcade passed on the way to St Giles' Cathedral.

Another anti-monarchy group hosted a rally outside Holyrood, which was attended by Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater.

Police Scotland said it had liaised with groups to ensure public safety.

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Mark Leishman CVO was private secretary to the then Prince of Wales from 2003 - 2017.

He says it's extraordinary that it's almost 10 months since Scotland "led the world in mourning the Queen".

Leishman talks about the King's passion for Scotland and says there is a lot about Scotland that means coming home for him.

The protests by anti-monarchy groups today are simply "part of the deal", he says.

"Everyone has their view and everyone is entitled to their view."

As the King and Queen leave St Giles' Cathedral, there is a 21-gun salute from Edinburgh Castle.

The 21 Gun Saluting troop was the 12 Regiment Royal Artillery, and it will be followed by a fly past by the Red Arrows after the King and Queen leave the service.

There was a crown, but this was not a coronationpublished at 15:16 British Summer Time 5 July 2023

15:16 BST 5 July 2023

James Cook
Scotland Editor, BBC News

Image source, Historic Environment Scotland

This is a day packed with ancient symbols.

The golden crown of Scotland and the silver-gilt sceptre which were first used together for the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots in 1543 were centre stage.

The Stone of Destiny, used to crown monarchs for more than a thousand years, also featured.

But this was not a coronation for the simple reason that Scotland has not been regarded as a kingdom in its own right since forming the nation of Great Britain by joining a parliamentary union with England in 1707.

In fact, the service of thanksgiving and dedication is not even an age-old ritual. It was invented to celebrate the late Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953.

At the time, there was a great deal of wrangling about the format to ensure that it respected Scottish sensibilities , externalwhile not taking on the air of a second coronation.

In an era with much more support for Scottish independence and much less enthusiasm for the monarchy, that challenge is even more intense for the King than it was for his mother.

After the Blessing, the Royal Procession follows the clergy out of the cathedral in the following order:

• The Lyon Macer
• Officers of Arms
• The Bearers of the National Flag and Royal Standard
• The Elizabeth Sword and escort
• The Sceptre and escort
• The Crown and escort
• Rothesay Herald
• The Lord Lyon King of Arms
• THE QUEEN THE KING
• The Duchess of Rothesay The Duke of Rothesay
• The Lord Chamberlain The Captain-General
• Members of the Royal Household in Attendance
• Members of the Royal Company of Archers
• An Officer of the Royal Company of Archers

As we draw towards the end of the ceremony, all inside St Giles' Cathedral are standing to sing the National Anthem.

And the service ends with a blessing: "The worship is over, let the service begin. Beloved, go in peace."

Image source, Reuters

The Stone of Destiny, which is also known as the Stone of Scone, is an ancient symbol of Scotland's monarchy.

It was used for the coronation of Scots kings for hundreds of years before being seized by Edward I of England in 1296, during the Wars of Independence, and taken to Westminster Abbey.

It remained in England for 700 years and formed part of the coronation chair on which kings and queens were crowned.

The stone is a 150kg (336lb) red sandstone slab, which is 66cm (26in) long, 42cm (17in) wide, and 27cm (10.5in) high.

On Christmas Day in 1950, four students from Glasgow broke into Westminster Abbey and took it back to Scotland.

It reappeared months later 500 miles away in Arbroath Abbey - a place that was important to Scotland's independence history.

On 11 April 1951, it was returned to Westminster Abbey and replaced in the coronation chair, where two years later it had a greater prominence than ever as Queen Elizabeth's coronation was broadcast on television.

The stone was returned for permanent display in Scotland in 1996.

It was loaned back to England for King Charles' coronation ceremony in London in May.

We now come to the part of the service referring to the Stone of Destiny, used to crown monarchs for more than a thousand years.

The congregation is told the presence of the stone "is a historic moment in the life of Scotland".

"Carved from the earth, this is a simple piece of stone. Yet, in its simplicity, it has precious and significant symbolism for the people of this land," Dr Joseph Morrow, the current Lord Lyon and Scotland's heraldic authority, says.

We're currently hearing the Prayers of Intercession and Dedication.

They are being read by the Most Reverend Leo Cushley - the Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh; Professor Liz Grant, a member of the Church of Scotland; The Reverend Dr Amos Chewachong, minister of Newport-on-Tay Parish Church; and the Dean of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal.

As we near the end of the ceremony, Blessings and Greetings are being read from different faith and belief communities.

Chief Imam Dr Sayed Razawi, the Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society opens the blessings, and prays that King Charles and Queen Camilla will be empowered by God with his wisdom.

Rabbi Moshe Rubin, a Senior Rabbi also says he “acknowledges the value of public service” to King Charles.

Others present include Dr Srihari Vallabhajousula from the Hindu Temple of Scotland, Ani Rinchen Khandro the Director of Kagyu Samye Dzong, and Fraser Sutherland, chief executive of the Humanist Society Scotland.

We are now hearing a song in Doric, the dialect of the north-east of Scotland. It was commissioned for this service by the King, composed by Joanna Gill and adapted by Gordon Hay.

It is sung by Karen Cargill with the Ayoub Sisters.