The Princess of Wales cheekily reached in a must-see moment inside St. Giles’ Cathedral.
Kate Middleton displayed a rare moment of PDA with Prince William at King Charles’ Scottish coronation celebration — in church!
On Wednesday, the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 41, attended the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh held in honor of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s crowning. The festivities were smaller than the formal coronation in London on May 6 and seemed to have a more relaxed atmosphere. Kate sat next to her husband during the church service, where she smiled, whispered into his ear and even tapped his backside!
The touch was reminiscent of another lighthearted love tap between the royal couple at the BAFTAs in February. As the couple walked the red carpet at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Vogue cameras caught a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where Kate patted William’s butt.
Inside St. Giles’ Cathedral, King Charles was presented with the Honours of Scotland, the country’s crown jewels. The suite is comprised of the crown of King James V of Scotland, a sceptre and a new sword of state with a special connection to Queen Elizabeth. The government of Scotland commissioned a new ceremonial blade named after the late monarch for the National Service of Thanksgiving because the set’s existing sword (over 500 years old!) was deemed too delicate to use.
When the church service concluded, a 21-gun salute was fired from Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Procession traveled back to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the British monarch’s official residence in Scotland, and the Red Arrows of the Royal Air Force soared overheard for a flypast.
From the presentation of the crown jewels to the processions and pomp, much of the pageantry in Edinburgh for the coronation celebration mirrors the festivities seen at Charles and Camilla’s crowning at Westminster Abbey in May. In early June, the Scottish government announced that the King and Queen’s coronation would be commemorated in Edinburgh on July 5.
“Scotland will welcome the new King and Queen in July with a series of events to mark the Coronation. A People’s Procession, a Royal Procession, a National Service of Thanksgiving and a Gun Salute will take place in Edinburgh,” First Minister Humza Yousaf said in a statement. “Representatives from many different communities and organizations in Scotland will take part in these historic events. People who wish to mark this historic occasion can get involved by watching broadcast coverage or viewing events in person.”
Seventy years ago, Queen Elizabeth was fêted with a similar celebration in Scotland a few weeks after her coronation at Westminster Abbey. On June 24, 1953, the Queen paid her first official visit to Scotland as sovereign just a few weeks after her crowning in London on June 2.
She arrived to “huge fanfare” and traveled by carriage through the streets of Edinburgh with Prince Philip to St. Giles’ Cathedral for a National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication, Scotland magazine reported.