King Charles Edinburgh visit: When is King Charles III in Edinburgh? Road closures, Red Arrows and timings

Charles and Camilla will travel up Edinburgh’s Royal Mile for service at St Giles’ Cathedral

Scotland will mark the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla with a series of events in Edinburgh on Wednesday, July 5.

The events, which are happening during Royal Week, will begin around lunchtime and will include a ‘People’s Procession’ of around 100 people representing different aspects of Scottish life from the Castle to St Giles’ Cathedral, a Royal Procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ and a National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at the cathedral. The afternoon will end with a fly-past by the Red Arrows down the Royal Mile.

It will be the first time that King Charles has visited Edinburgh since he was crowned in May, following his mother’s death at Balmoral on September 8 last year. It echoes the visit Elizabeth II made to the Capital in June 1953, shortly after she had been crowned Queen.

King Charles III receives a royal salute following the coronation in May. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire.

How to watch King Charles’ coronation visit to Edinburgh

You can watch the events on television – it’s on BBC1 Scotland from 1.30pm. You can also listen to the National Service of Dedication and Thanksgiving on BBC Radio 3. If you want to watch the People’s Procession in person, there will be viewing opportunities along the Royal Mile from the Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

But If you are planning to attend, there are warnings public transport will be very busy and the advice is to plan your journey in advance, allow plenty of time to get there as there will be limited space on pavements along the Royal Mile, with access to key areas possibly restricted for safety reasons. People are also urged to make sure they are prepared to stand for a number of hours in changeable weather.

Why is King Charles coming to Edinburgh? What’s happening

Thousands of people lined the Royal Mile for the procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles' Cathedral after the death of Elizabeth II. Picture: John Devlin.

A People’s Procession of around 100 people representing aspects of Scottish life including charities and public services, will process from the Castle to St Giles’ Cathedral, escorted by The Royal Regiment of Scotland and their mascot, a Shetland pony named Corporal Cruachan IV. Also accompanying the procession will be cadet musicians from the Combined Cadet Force Pipes and Drums, 51 Brigade Cadet Military Band.

A wide range of organisations in Scotland will take part in the procession, including Boys Brigade, Edinburgh Council School Crossing Patrol, College of Master Kilt Tailors, Dogs Trust, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, National Trust, Northern Lighthouse Board, Princes Trust, Representation for the Refugee Community, RNLI, Royal British Legion Scotland, Royal College of Nursing Scotland, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal Company of Merchants of The City of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Royal Yacht Brittannia Edinburgh, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Samaritans, ScotRail, Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scouts Scotland.

What other processions are there in Edinburgh for Royal Week?

After the People’s Procession has reached St Giles’ Cathedral, the Honours of Scotland – the oldest Crown Jewels in Britain, which have been present at many of the major royal ceremonial events over the past five centuries – will make the same journey from the Castle to the cathedral by vehicle. They will be escorted by The King’s Body Guard for Scotland – the Royal Company of Archers – and a Tri-Service Guard of Honour formed by contingents of the Navy, Army and Royal Air Force with a military band and pipes and drums.

The Stone of Destiny will form part of the ceremony in St Giles marking the coronation of Charles III. Picture: Press Association.

At the same time, military pipe and drums, bands, and members of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment will process up the Royal Mile from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral.

And then the King and Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay – William and Kate – will travel from the Palace to the cathedral in a Royal Procession.

What happens at St Giles’ Cathedral when King Charles visits?

The National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication will take place at St Giles’ Cathedral, starting at 2.15pm and lasting about an hour.

The Honours of Scotland will be presented to the King and the Stone of Destiny will also form part of the ceremony. A new sword – the Elizabeth Sword, named after Elizabeth II – will be presented to the King along with the sceptre and Crown of Scotland, which make up the Honours. The new sword, which will be carried by Dame Katherine Grainger, will now be used on ceremonial occasions in place of the current sword, gifted to James IV by Pope Julius in 1507, which can no longer be used due to its fragile condition.

The congregation in St Giles’ will be made up of people from various walks of life in Scotland including First Minister Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone, Scottish party leaders, those who took part in the People’s Procession, and representatives of church and faith communities and the charity and voluntary sectors.

What other services will be held in Edinburgh for King Charles’ visit? Red Arrows and gun salute

At about 3.20pm there will be a 21-gun salute from the Castle at the end of the St Giles’ service, before the Royal Procession travels back to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The salute will be fired by 12 Regiment Royal Artillery. And then a flypast by the Red Arrows will round off the afternoon at around 3.40pm, with the planes flying down the Royal Mile from the Castle to the Palace.

Will there be protests when King Charles visits Edinburgh?

Police Scotland has said disruptive protests that “risk public safety” will not be tolerated. Police were criticised for “heavy handed” arrests of anti-monarchy protesters during the events which followed the Queen’s death last year. But Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs, who is police lead for Wednesday’s programme, said “threatening behaviour” or “activity intended to disrupt the event that risks public safety” was “not legitimate protest”.

However, two republican campaign groups have announced plans to demonstrate on Wednesday. Our Republic said it would hold a rally at the Meadows from 1pm on Wednesday. And Republic plans to hold a protest around St Giles' Street.

Road closures in place for King Charles visit to Edinburgh

Traffic restrictions and temporary road closures will be in place around the Royal Mile on the day of the events. Edinburgh council has warned locals that the Old Town and surrounding streets may be “extremely busy” on the day and advised motorists to avoid driving in the city centre on Wednesday.

There are a few road closures from Tuesday, July 4, including ones around the Palace of Holyroodhouse – Holyrood Gait, Holyrood Road, Horse Wynd. And on Wednesday, an extensive list of road closures includes Abbeyhill, Calton Road, Canongate, High Street, Jeffrey Street, St Mary’s Street, North Bridge, South Bridge, Cockburn Street, Victoria Street, George IV Bridge, Lawnmarket and Johnston Terrace.

People are advised to check the council website, which will be updated with details of road closures and other public transport information. All roads closed for the royal events will re-open by 6pm on July 6, except closures in place for the Castle Concerts, as well as St Giles Street and St John Street.

What time is King Charles in Edinburgh? Full timeline of events

13.15: People’s Procession departs Edinburgh Castle Esplanade

13.30: People’s Procession arrives at St Giles’ Cathedral

13.40: The Honours of Scotland leave Edinburgh Castle Esplanade under military escort

13.40: Military pipe and drums bands and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment move from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to West Parliament Square

13.50: The Honours of Scotland arrive at West Parliament Square by vehicle

14.05: Royal Procession leaves the Palace of Holyroodhouse

14.10: Royal Procession arrives at St Giles’ Cathedral

14.15: National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication begins

15.15: Service ends

15.20: The King and Queen exit St Giles’ to gun salute from the Castle

15.27: Royal party arrive at Palace of Holyroodhouse

15.40: RAF flypast down the Royal Mile