A year of ceremonial duties for The Royal Regiment of Scotland – but the ‘day job’ doesn’t stop
TODAY Wednesday (5th July) saw King Charles and Queen Camilla make their first visit to Scotland since the coronation in May earlier this year.
To mark the occasion, over 60 soldiers from The Royal Regiment of Scotland took to the streets, swapping their usual green combat gear for ceremonial uniform as they led a procession down the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral.
The King’s visit is one of a number of events that the Regiment has carried out this year as it balances its ceremonial duties with being the most deployed unit within the British Armed Forces.
While they’ve been away from the public eye, soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland have carried out a number of physically and mentally testing training missions, both in the UK and abroad.
From training alongside allies in Nato readiness tests in hundreds of hours of challenges across vast and rough terrain in freezing temperatures, to being deployed on peacekeeping missions in Mali that saw soldiers on patrol, engaging with the local community and mentoring foreign forces.
While today’s event wasn’t quite as demanding, preparation back in the barracks at home was nonetheless been carried out in true military fashion.
Lieutenant Damiani, from The Royal Regiment of Scotland, said: “Our troops that are parading on Wednesday have been practicing their drills, pipes and drums for weeks – balancing this with their countless other responsibilities.”
Some of the soldiers taking part in the parade recently returned from an intensive six-week training programme working with the Canadian Army.
Wessex Storm, which took place on Salisbury Plain Training Area, is a routine validation exercise which ensures individual units are ready to deploy at any given time as part of a larger battlegroup.
Damiani added: “As we gather to celebrate another landmark day in British history, our presence at stately events is always one of commitment to protecting and serving our nation.
“So much of what we do is behind closed doors, so it’s always a proud moment for our soldiers to be able to march on their home turf and have a such a visible role at these important events.”
Today’s events in Edinburgh to mark the coronation included a people’s procession, a royal procession and a national service of thanksgiving where The King was presented with the Honours of Scotland – the oldest crown jewels in Britain.
The day’s events concluded with a 21 gun salute at Edinburgh Castle and a flypast by the Red Arrows.
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