Their Majesties braved the rain to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth
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Speaking after the ceremony, Reverend Dr Rennie continued to pay tribute to the late Queen, says The Standard, with the minister adding: ‘It has been a great honour and privilege to welcome their majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla back to St Giles’ for such a special event as we commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth, who visited the cathedral many times, with the dedication of the memorial stone.’
The stone itself, with its simple engraving of the ER cypher and the Crown of Scotland, was carved by Vincent and Roxanne Kindersley, whose Cambridge-based workshop has delivered similar pieces to a number of national monuments, including Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral.
But it was their design for the National Gallery that piqued King Charles’ interest. After the poignant service, His Majesty spoke to the sculptors, praising their work at the Gallery as ‘absolutely brilliant’.
St Giles’ Cathedral no doubt holds a special place in King Charles’ heart. After Queen Elizabeth passed away at Balmoral in September 2022, the King joined his three siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, to lead the procession following his mother’s coffin to the Cathedral. His Majesty joined the royals at the vigil in his mother’s honour, which was attended by the Royal Company of Archers, the monarch’s bodyguards in Scotland, some of whom were present at Wednesday’s dedication ceremony.