Prince William and Princess Kate's summer Scotland trip revealed - details
Prince William and Princess Kate have a jam-packed schedule with official engagements, and next month the couple are set to depart for Scotland for a series of special events.
The Scottish government has released the news that "Scotland will mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla during Royal Week in Edinburgh on Wednesday 5 July."
As well as their majesties, William and Kate will be in attendance for various events. The special week will include a royal procession, a 21-gun salute and of course a meeting with the iconic Shetland pony mascot Corporal Cruachan IV.
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Lance Corporal Cruachan IV is the Royal Regiment of Scotland's mascot and has previously tried to eat the late Queen's flowers and nibbled at Prince Harry's fingers when he and Meghan Markle, visited Edinburgh in 2018. We wonder what the cheeky pony will get up to this time around!
There has been no mention of the ceremony of the keys, which is something the late Queen Elizabeth II used to do when she attended Royal Week. As part of the tradition, the monarch is symbolically handed the keys of the city by the Lord Provost and tradition dictates he/she then returns them, entrusting their safekeeping to Edinburgh's elected officials.
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The person conducting the ceremony says: "We, the serving members of Your Majesty's armed forces, bound by our oath to you, your heirs and successors, offer for your gracious acceptance the key to Your Majesty's Royal Castle of Edinburgh."
The Queen used to respond: "I return this key to the safekeeping of My Governor of Edinburgh Castle, in gratitude for the symbolic act of loyalty of our armed forces, confident of your faithful allegiance to your oath."
Will King Charles stay at Balmoral this summer?
Scotland is a location close to the hearts of many royal family members and summers in Balmoral are all part of the fun. It is likely that the monarch will continue the tradition, at least heading there for some time over the summer period.
Often, other family members join the monarch at the large country house in order to enjoy outdoor pursuits such as walking, horse riding and fishing.
Why did the late Queen love Balmoral so much?
In the ITV documentary, Our Queen at Ninety, Princess Eugenie spoke about the wonder of Balmoral. "It's the most beautiful place on earth," she said, and it's not only her that is taken aback by the surroundings.
She went on to say: "I think Granny is the most happy there, I think she really, really loves the Highlands... Walks, picnics, dogs - a lot of dogs, there's always dogs! And people coming in and out all the time.
"Family-wise we're all there, so it's a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa to be - for us to come and see them up there, where you just have room to breathe and run."
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