At a ceremony of thanksgiving held today in Edinburgh in honour of the Queen, Prime Minister Liz Truss and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon put aside their political differences in the presence of a sombre King Charles III and other grieving senior members of the Royal Family.
The Conservative leader, who met Her Majesty at Balmoral two days before the 96-year-old monarch passed away and has already met twice with Britain’s new monarch, sat next to her “true blue” accountant husband Hugh O’Leary and Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack and his wife Ann, who were both wearing black to the solemn service at St. Giles’ Cathedral.
Ms. Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, and the presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, sat to their left.
Following the solemn 1,200 yard procession up the Royal Mile from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the ancient cathedral, the Queen’s dressed coffin was placed on a decorated wooden frame, and the King, the Queen Consort, the Duke of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence sat next to it.
Lord Lieutenants of Scotland, council members, military personnel, war veterans, and representatives from the judiciary and consular services were also present during the event.
Representatives from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, the Royal National MOD, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Scottish Football Association are among those invited to the event since the Queen served as the patron of a number of Scottish organisations.
There will also be representatives from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, the Scottish Faculty of Advocates, and the Royal Scottish Forestry Society.
The guest list included representatives from the arts, sports, education, emergency services, religious organisations, and the media, reflecting the late monarch’s involvement in a broad variety of organisations during her reign.
The Queen was Forces Children Scotland’s longest-serving sponsor, and the organisation was present at the service.
The Rev. Calum MacLeod greeted the royal family, calling them “representatives of our nation’s life” and “those whose lives were touched by the Queen in so many unique ways,” at the start of the ceremony.
“And so, we assemble to say Scotland’s late king goodbye. We honour his life of service to the country and the globe,” he remarked. He had a famous affection for Scotland.
The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, read Ecclesiastes to the mourners. Other speakers included Samuel Nwokoro, a student from Nigeria, the Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and others.
The composition included elements from sacred music by Bach, Byrd, Purcell, and Tallis, as well as Scottish, Anglican, and European sources.