hello, and a very warm welcome to this special programme from edinburgh. in a little while, his majesty the king welcome to st giles�* cathedral to receive the honours of scotland. the others are the sword, the sceptre and the scottish crown, and they are written�*s alldis crown jewels, though a new sword has been crafted for today�*s occasion. while this is not a coronation service, the king

will dedicate himself to the people of scotland. he will be accompanied by queen camilla and by his son prince william, duke of rothesay, and catherine, duchess of rothesay. already, it is full of activity, as the people�*s procession, 100 in all, hasjust the people�*s procession, 100 in all, has just arrived, led the people�*s procession, 100 in all, hasjust arrived, led by the people�*s procession, 100 in all, has just arrived, led by this magnificent contingent of scots dragoon guards. the monarch�*s official residence in scotland is the palace of holyroodhouse. preparations are well under way there for members of the royal family to make the short journey up the royal mile to st giles�* cathedral in time for the service, which is due to start at

2:15pm. inside the cathedral, the congregation are taking their seats, and they are being treated to a wonderful concert, much of it scottish, and very, very beautiful music. we will be bringing you some of that over the course of our programme, but remember, you can listen to all the music and interrupted by us on radio three or bbc sounds. it looks as if this is the national youth choir of scotland chamber choir singing burns at this point. many of the folk filtering into the cathedral are part of what has been called the people�*s procession. about 20 minutes ago, the procession left edinburgh castle and made its way down the royal mile to st giles�*, and the organisers tell you

that these are the important people today, because for all the military and ceremonial splendour, they have been chosen to represent the people of scotland, from school pupils to coastguards, taxi drivers, an apprentice kilt taylor in there, a zookeeper, an asylum seeker, a postman. and of course, on the 75th anniversary of the nhs, nurses, ambulance drivers, doctors. organisations across scotland have nominated people, who must be thrilled to have a little part to play in history, and they certainly all look very happy to be part of this historic occasion. i am joined in the commentary studio here by my old friend and colleague, the veteran royal commentatorjames naughtie. the people in the procession very much key to the events, gym, because they are here to represent the people of scotland

the king will be dedicating himself to this afternoon?— to this afternoon? that's right, sall . i to this afternoon? that's right, sally. ithink_ to this afternoon? that's right, sally. i think it's _ to this afternoon? that's right, sally. i think it's sometimes i sally. i think it�*s sometimes tempting to think of these flourishes and so on in processions is a bit of window dressing, a bit of spectacle. i think it�*s more than that. i think this whole service and occasion has been crafted to send a series of messages, and that is one of them, that this is a service of dedication. that is what it is called. on the part of the king to the people of scotland, and all the organisations represented by these 100 who have been selected, and many organisations which the king has a close personal relationship and history with. that is one of the symbols we will see today and be conscious of, in the background and indeed sometimes right in front of us, as the service unfolds, because the setting itself is also part of these messages that will take us back into scotland�*s its antiquity, the whole story of the honours of scotland going back to the 16th

century, and the way that these events will proceed, well i think remind everybody of what the strength of that history is, and how real and contemporary it still is to people in the historic capital of scotland. and a very thoughtfully scottish occasion we are going to see. film. occasion we are going to see. 0h, es, it is occasion we are going to see. oh, yes. it is very _ occasion we are going to see. i yes, it is very scottish. occasion we are going to see. oi, yes, it is very scottish. the music, much of which has been selected by the king, he has played a very close personal role in this, it�*s just reeks of auld reekie, which of course, is edinburgh, the city. this is scottish to its bootstraps, we will see that over the next hour and a half. �* , ., ., will see that over the next hour and a half. �*, ., ., ., ., a half. let's have a word now with our colleague. — a half. let's have a word now with our colleague, sampling - a half. let's have a word now with our colleague, sampling the - our colleague, sampling the atmosphere for us outside st giles. yes, it is a lovely atmosphere, actually, outside st giles today, and as we have been touching on, if you are a fan of pageantry and dare i say it, a bit of pomp, this is the

place for you. edinburgh does these occasions spectacularly, does it not? this is a royal procession with most of the trimmings through the heart of one of the great european cities. a quick look at the crowds here as well suggests there is still a real appetite for this sort of thing in this part of scotland. i got here much earlier at about 10am, and in this part of the high street, crowds were already four or five deep. far deeper now, people craning their heads to look over the early arrivals, but it is the royal party most of them have come to see. a couple of hours ago, it is a walk down to the palace of holyroodhouse, and by that point, people were grabbing their spots all the way down, about a mile grabbing their spots all the way down, abouta mile in grabbing their spots all the way down, about a mile in total, that journey, and judging by their accents, they are notjust from scotland, but much further afield in the uk and far beyond that too, and let�*s face it, if you are a tourist and havejust let�*s face it, if you are a tourist and have just put your dream holiday to prison and you land in edinburgh and this is happening, you will think you have hit the jackpot. and then there is the weather. thank

goodness this did not happen yesterday. it was a proper scottish summer is macro day yesterday, a bit of sun, a lot of rain, and a fairly ferocious wind. but look at this. the eyes of the world are on edinburgh today, and the city is characteristically showing off. the sun is out, it is shirt sleeve weather. this is constitutionally a big day for scotland, and so far, at least, very good. thank you very much, martin. we will be back to you later. the mascot of the royal regiment of scotland, that lovely black shetland pony. let�*s have a word about the honours of scotland that will be presented today, consisting of the crown, the sword, and the sceptre. the old sword has been too fragile to be moved from edinburgh castle, so a magnificent new one has been fashioned in time for today�*s

ceremony. it is called the elizabeth sword in honour of the late queen, and indeed, the last time the ceremony was performed was almost exactly 70 years ago, when the young queen herself was presented with the onerous. —— with the honours. marvellous black—and—white footage from that time. then, as now, a lot of work went on, cleaning and restoring that honours, and then as now, st giles, the setting for the service, which in a way is a completion of the coronation itself. looking at these pictures, there is the queen being presented with the sword, wearing a day dress with a handbag over her left arm there. there was a bit of a fuss after that? i there was a bit of a fuss after that? 4' ., , ., , .,

that? i think there was a bit of offence taken _ that? i think there was a bit of offence taken in _ that? i think there was a bit of offence taken in some - that? i think there was a bit of. offence taken in some quarters. it was thought not to be regal enough. i think particularly the handbag, some people thought it was a faux pas, but most people did not mind in the least. a more smoky city in those days, as we can see from these shots. much of the service will be the same, the presentation of honours, but the service we will see today has a much more contemporary feel to it. find today has a much more contemporary feel to it. �* , today has a much more contemporary feelto it. �* , ., ., , feel to it. and there is the honours procession — feel to it. and there is the honours procession coming _ feel to it. and there is the honours procession coming down _ feel to it. and there is the honours procession coming down the - feel to it. and there is the honours procession coming down the royal| procession coming down the royal mile now. , , ., ., ~ ., mile now. yes, they are taken out of edinbur: h mile now. yes, they are taken out of edinburgh castle, _ mile now. yes, they are taken out of edinburgh castle, where _ mile now. yes, they are taken out of edinburgh castle, where they - mile now. yes, they are taken out of edinburgh castle, where they are - edinburgh castle, where they are kept protected, of course. these extraordinary pieces that date back to the 16th century in scotland. the crown that was used to crown james v in 1540, touched byjames the crown that was used to crown james v in 1540, touched by james the fourth before him. and they reach deep into scotland�*s history. a crown that is actually older than the one worn at the coronation. he will not wear the

crown today. apart from anything else, it is too small. but it will simply be presented to him. presenting into rolls—royces today, rather more stately than some of the places they have ended up in their time, these honours. notably, they were smuggled from pillar to post in a bid to keep them safe from oliver cromwell. after the crowning of charles ii, which was the last of a nation in charles ii, which was the last of a nation ., , charles ii, which was the last of a nation ., ., ., ., , nation in scotland, cromwell was stom - in . nation in scotland, cromwell was stomping around _ nation in scotland, cromwell was stomping around the _ nation in scotland, cromwell was stomping around the place, - nation in scotland, cromwell was - stomping around the place, wreaking havoc on anything in particular to do with crownjewels. so, the scottish honours were secreted in various places, and they ended up backin various places, and they ended up back in edinburgh castle. it was the novelist sir walter scott in the early 19th century he managed to winkle them out of some old oak chest in the castle and really rescue them for the visit of george iv, which got himself choreographed and created an image of scotland that he saw it in his own mind, you

know, glorious, colourfuland kilted and so on, and the honours were really brought back to public gaze at that point, and they are objects of great pride. at that point, and they are ob'ects of great pride-i of great pride. the extraordinary thin is, of great pride. the extraordinary thing is. all— of great pride. the extraordinary thing is, all the _ of great pride. the extraordinary thing is, all the derring-do - of great pride. the extraordinary thing is, all the derring-do and i thing is, all the derring—do and skulduggery that rescued the scottish crown jewels skulduggery that rescued the scottish crownjewels mean that skulduggery that rescued the scottish crown jewels mean that they are today the oldest in britain, because oliver cromwell destroyed the english crownjewels, but scotland�*s were preserved and are still here to be presented to the third king charles.— still here to be presented to the third king charles. absolutely. they take us back. _ third king charles. absolutely. they take us back, as _ third king charles. absolutely. they take us back, as i _ third king charles. absolutely. they take us back, as i say, _ third king charles. absolutely. they take us back, as i say, to _ third king charles. absolutely. they take us back, as i say, to the - third king charles. absolutely. they take us back, as i say, to the 16th l take us back, as i say, to the 16th century and everything that followed, leading to the union of the crown in 1603, when scotland gave england the king and james vi becamejames i, and the stuart lines united the histories of england and scotland, and it is a history of the king is deeply familiar with, and feels very close to, and i think

everyone knows this. you can�*t escape today, in these streets of edinburgh, the power of that history, the power of the story. these are symbols that have a living force today. there are protesters, as we can see, in the streets, who express their own view. there are different views about where the monarchy should stand today, and there, behind that barrier, as the honours of scotland approach st giles�* cathedral, they will first be taken into the signet room, that magnificent room, and george iv called it the finest drawing room in europe, which they so much about scottish history, the existence of its own legal system, which happens around there, the advocate�*s hall, where the writers of the signet have access. everything here tells you something about the story that all

comes together.

music: god save the king