King Charles III opens Royal Week in Edinburgh with Ceremony of the Keys

King Charles III arrived in Edinburgh by helicopter to begin Royal Week, also known as Holyrood Week, an annual event celebrating Scottish culture. He was greeted by a guard of honour from Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland. The Ceremony of the Keys took place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where Lord Provost Robert Aldridge presented the keys to the city, which the King symbolically touched and returned. The King met with First Minister John Swinney and new Presiding Officer Kenneth Gibson. He also opened the seventh session of the Scottish Parliament since its establishment in 1999. The Crown of Scotland was escorted down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland brass ensemble performed a fanfare. Later events include an investiture ceremony and garden party with Queen Camilla, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Princess Royal. Honourees include forensic scientist Lorna Dawson (damehood), New Seekers singer Eve Graham (MBE), and Simon Milne (knighthood). Separately, the Queen met author JK Rowling at the Palace of Holyroodhouse to discuss children's reading. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series with a fortune of £975m, wrote part of the series at the Elephant House café, which reopened in December after a 2021 fire. She has been involved in a dispute with former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon over gender identification policies.