Edinburgh’s Holyroodhouse Palace and St Giles Cathedral, where Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will rest in the coming days, are both steeped in royal history – and anti-English sentiment.
Since the Queen’s death at the age of 96 on Thursday, her body remains at her estate in Balmoral in north-east Scotland, while her eldest son traveled to London to attend the official ceremony as King Charles III. to be called out.
On Sunday, the coffin will be carried by road to the 500-year-old Holyroodhouse Palace, set against the dramatic backdrop of Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcano that dominates Edinburgh’s sprawling Holyrood Park.
The palace has been used by Scottish and English monarchs for centuries, ever since James IV began construction on the site of Holyrood (“Holy Cross”) Abbey.
According to legend, the abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I after seeing a vision of a stag with a luminous cross between its antlers, which he took as a sign from God.
One of the most notable residents of the palace was Mary Queen of Scots. There she witnessed the brutal murder of her secretary in her private chambers in 1566, instigated by her jealous husband.
In 1633 Holyroodhouse was the site of the Scottish coronation of King Charles I, whose reign resulted in a civil war during which he was executed and the palace was damaged and abandoned.
After a brief republic, his son returned as King Charles II in 1660 and renovated the palace.
Elizabeth was a regular visitor during her reign, hosting an annual garden party attended by around 8,000 people, and in 2010 she received Pope Benedict XVI. there during his visit to the UK.
– Protestant roots –
On Monday, the new king will accompany his mother’s coffin in a procession down the Royal Mile to the magnificent St Giles’ Cathedral, where he will also hold a vigil.
Founded around 1124 as a Catholic parish church, St Giles’ witnessed key moments in British history.
It was at the heart of the Reformation when the Protestant theologian John Knox was installed as vicar there in 1559, a year before Scotland officially threw off the Catholic Church.
In 1637 a riot broke out after a local woman threw a stool at the preacher at St Giles’ in protest of Charles I’s attempts to impose Anglo-Anglican worship on Presbyterian Scotland.
And in 1707, when England and Scotland were united by the Act of Union, according to legend, the bells of St Giles were said to ring out the tune “Why should I be so sad on my wedding day?”, reflecting the opposition of many Scots to the Move.
St Giles’ is also home to Thistle Chapel, home of Scotland’s highest order of chivalry, the Order of the Thistle.
Elizabeth was present as head of the Order when Charles was installed as a member in 1977.
It was also at St Giles that she was symbolically presented with the Honors of Scotland – a crown, sword and scepter – at a thanksgiving service for her coronation in 1953.
