Following the Queen’s death on September 8, simultaneous ceremonies arranged in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland brought about the formal proclaimation of Charles as the King.
“God Save the King” Wins Out Against Booing From Scottish Nationalists
With a good number of Scottish nationalists sharing the sentiment of seeing Britain a republican nation, it was not a wonder that Charles was booed by the crowds who came out to meet him at the streets of Edinburgh.
However, when the anti-monarchists began booing the newly adjusted national anthem, they were soon drowned out by the cheers from their fellow crowd members. The hearty cheers reverberated around the Royal Mile, sending a clear message that the Scots were proud of its new King as any other part of the UK.
It was noticeable that the cheers grew louder when the boos started, and the declarations of “God Save the King” swelled in volume from both the crowd and the stone pulpit at the Mercat Cross, from which the proclamation was read.
Defiant, one republican raised his voice so that it’ll ring out in spite of the cheers, but was soon warned to “shut up” by various members of the crowd, while a few others told him to “show some respect”.
Per a report by The Telegraph, the incident happened near St Giles’ Cathedral, where the late Queen’s coffin was moved on Monday, after Charles III was formally acknowledged as King across the UK.
In Edinburgh, following tradition, the Lord Lyon King of Arms read the historic proclamation of the new King at midday. At the same time, the Norroy and Ulster King of Arms at Hillsborough Castle did the same at a ceremony taking place in Belfast.
What the Scots Think Of the Anti-monarchists Trying To Disrupt the Historic Event
In Cardiff, the proclamation was read in English, whilst it was read in Welsh by Herald of Arms Extraordinary, Tom Lloyd, and the Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Morfudd Meredith, at Cardiff Castle.
A second proclamation, “to the people of Edinburgh” took place shortly after, followed by a 21-gun salute.
The proclamations followed a ceremony, which took place at St. James’ Palace on Saturday when King Charles was proclaimed the ruling King before the Accession Council.
The ceremony did not entirely go without a hitch as a woman, who was holding up a sign that read “F*** imperialism, abolish monarchy”, was led off by the police. Even though some cheered the incident, one man shouted that the police should “let her go, it’s free speech”.
However, it did not deter the anti-monarchists from screaming their protest about what’s going on.
Helen Smith, 48, from Livingston, said: “I believe everyone does have a right to protest, but I thought it was the wrong place at the wrong time. [It was] incredibly disrespectful to the event that we were just seeing.”
Ann Hamilton, 48, from Dumfries, said: “For them to be here, heckling through things, I think it was terrible. If they were so against it, they shouldn’t have come. Once everyone was singing God Save The King with their full voices, it was drowning them out.”
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