Scottish Green leaders to snub King's cathedral ceremony

Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater pictured at the Scottish Greens' spring party conference earlier this year

The co-leaders of the Scottish Greens have confirmed they will not attend a service of thanksgiving for King Charles III in Edinburgh this week.

Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater are both outspoken republican MSPs as well as government ministers.

Mr Harvie will instead speak at a rally outside Holyrood organised by the anti-monarchy group Our Republic.

Scottish Conservative MSP Donald Cameron said the decision was "akin to student politics".

Alex Salmond, the former first minister and SNP leader, also said he had "politely declined" an invitation to attend the ceremony.

The national service of thanksgiving on Wednesday will see the King being presented with the Scottish crown jewels in a ceremony to mark his Coronation.

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Last year, members of the Scottish Greens boycotted a debate at Holyrood at which MSPs congratulated the late Queen on her Platinum Jubilee.

At the time, the party - which is part of a Scottish government power-sharing deal - said a head of state should be chosen by, and be accountable to, voters.

Confirming her intention not to attend Wednesday's ceremony, Ms Slater said: "In 21st Century Scotland, the monarchy is nothing to celebrate."

She added: "It is an out-of-date and undemocratic institution.

"How can we justify a system that allows one family to enjoy so much unearned wealth and privilege at a time when millions of people have so little?"

Scottish Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater met the Queen at the opening of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament in October 2021

Mr Harvie added that the monarchy was one of the reasonshe supported Scottish independence.

He said: "There are many people in Scotland who regard the monarchy as a tiresome spectacle and a symbol of values we don't hold."

"I will be proud to speak at the Our Republic rally, and to stand with others who want to build a more democratic society, where power and wealth belongs to the people rather than being passed down as an inheritance."

Donald Cameron said Mr Harvie's choice to speak at the rally instead was "predictably infantile".

'Out of touch'

He added: "If he wants to ask big questions, he should start with how he conducts himself as a government minister.

"The Greens may have failed to deliver a deposit-return scheme, but they can definitely recycle tedious anti-monarchy rants.

"As on so many issues, the extremist Greens are out of touch with the majority of Scots, who see the Coronation and the King's commitment to Scotland as something to celebrate."

Meanwhile, Mr Salmond - who publicly backed keeping the monarchy in an independent Scotland while he was first minister - predicted that King Charles would be the "last king of Scots".

He added: "This really is not the time to be wasting money on public displays of fealty to a King. It is the time for a renewed debate on why Scotland needs to take its own future into its own hands.

"I believe Scotland will become an independent country, and when we do, I suspect the majority of people will want a fresh start on the basis of an elected head of state."

The King won't exactly be shocked to hear that Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater will not be attending the service.

He will know they are not there. It's not something that will slip under the radar - he is kept up-to-date with all affairs of state.

For the Greens, as avowed republicans, if they did go to St Giles's, they would feel they were betraying their own principles.

Mr Harvie will address the Our Republic demonstration instead.

But there's a tension.

Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater are ministers of the Crown - some maybe question if there's a "disloyalty" here?

However, it's not the Middle Ages and heads will not roll.

They were, after all, democratically elected by people who clearly share their views.

Widening this out though, the first minister will attend - although he's a republican too.

It's easy for him to make an argument about why he has to be present at the service.

Mr Yousaf previously made clear he went to the Coronation as he represents all the people of Scotland.

Perhaps there's a certain irony though about the nature of the Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication.

The King was crowned as King of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey - and this is most certainly not a "Scottish Coronation".

But all the rich panoply of what would seem to be Scottish "statehood" will be on show at St Giles.

It highlights Scotland's history as an independent nation and the service now emphasises that ancient past in the United Kingdom.

So despite the opposition from some quarters, others who share pro-independence views will take a different view about the event.

Some Scottish nationalists who hail from the more traditional and monarchist wing of the movement will watch tomorrow with a real sense of "what could be" - as they see that sense of Scottish "statehood" played out in front of His Majesty.