King Charles III visited Scotland on Monday for his first engagement since the end of the royal mourning period of Queen Elizabeth II.
King Charles was joined by Queen Consort Camilla for the visit. The couple arrived in Dunfermline to formally give status to the city. The city won status amid Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
“There could be no more fitting way to mark my beloved mother’s extraordinary life of service than by granting this honor to a place made famous by its own long and distinguished history, and by the indispensable role it has played in the life of our country,” Charles said in a speech.
King Charles III participated in his first engagement as king since Queen Elizabeth II’s royal mourning period ended.
(Photo by Andrew Milligan – Pool/Getty Images)
King Charles III and Camilla, queen consort, leave Dunfermline Abbey after attending a meeting at the City Chambers in Dunfermline where the King formally marked the conferral of city status on the former town.
(Photo by Andrew Milligan – Pool/Getty Images)
“We gather to celebrate this great occasion but also to commemorate the life of Her late Majesty, whose deep love for Scotland was one of the foundations of her life,” he added.
Hundreds turned out on the streets of Dunfermline in Fife, north of Edinburgh, hoping to get a glimpse of the new monarch. Charles, who wore a kilt for the visit, spent time shaking hands with well-wishers after greeting Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and other leaders.
King Charles III has also canceled a trip to Egypt next month. His Royal Highness was set to attend an international climate change summit.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported that the decision came after conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss objected to Charles attending the conference, known as COP27, when she met with the king last month at Buckingham Palace.
King Charles III and Camilla, queen consort, visit Dunfermline Abbey, to mark its 950th anniversary.
(Photo by Andrew Milligan – Pool/Getty Images)
King Charles III greets members of the public after an official council meeting.
(Photo by Andrew Milligan – Pool/Getty Images)
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However, a member of the cabinet insisted the government and palace were in agreement about the cancelation.
“That is a decision that has been made amicably, as far as I am aware, between the palace and the government,” Simon Clarke told Times Radio. “The suggestions this morning that he was ordered to stay away are simply not true.”
The decision not to attend the climate summit has many speculating if Charles will pull back on his climate activism after ascending to the British throne.
King Charles III automatically ascended to the throne on September 8 after Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The queen’s death certificate, which was released to the public on September 29, listed Her Majesty’s cause of death as “old age.”
During his first speech as the new Monarch, King Charles III acknowledged his new role.
“My life will, of course, change as I take up my new responsibilities,’’ Charles said in the address.
“It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”
Britain’s King Charles III, wearing a kilt, and Britain’s Camilla, queen consort, walk to meet members of the public after leaving from City Chambers to Dunfermline Abbey in Dunfermline.
(Photo by NEIL HANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
