The King and Queen attended a celebration of Edinburgh 900 this week at Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh 900 explores and celebrates the nine centuries of history and traditions in Scotland’s capital city, since the founding of the Royal Burgh by King David I around 1124.
The King and Queen were greeted by a colourful and dynamic display of the very best of Edinburgh, featuring performances from Dance Base, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, music from a local accordion player, and Bhangra dancers.
There was also an array of local and national civic and community organisations represented including the Edinburgh Local Heritage Network, The Hub, Herbie of Edinburgh, Historic Environment Scotland, Barnardo’s and The Prince’s Trust.
The renowned author Alexander McCall Smith performed a short poem written for Edinburgh’s 900th birthday, his adopted home.
The Lord Provost Robert Aldridge then delivered a specially produced loyal address to The King and Queen.
Concluding the celebrations, The King and Queen were invited to cut an Edinburgh 900 themed cake baked by 2020 Great British Bake Off winner and Edinburgh-born, Peter Sawkins.
The Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “It was wonderful to welcome Their Majesties to Edinburgh to celebrate 900 years of Scotland’s capital city. The interest shown by The King and Queen highlights the importance of 900 years of our shared history and showcased local organisations exhibiting the very best of Edinburgh in the modern day which we’re rightly proud of.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how Edinburgh 900 develops in the months ahead. The full programme will delve into how Edinburgh came to be over the centuries. The programme will also celebrate Edinburgh in the present day and look ahead to our future ambitions and aspirations.”
An official programme launch will take place at the end of July. This will announce the full list of recipients of the Edinburgh 900 Community and Civic Funds.