King opens Holyrood Week with traditional Ceremony of the Keys

King Charles III opened Holyrood Week at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where Edinburgh’s Lord Provost formally offered him the keys to the city before he returned them. The Ceremony of the Keys began the monarch’s annual summer visit to Scotland and marked the start of a programme that runs from the end of June to the beginning of July. Holyroodhouse, also known as Holyrood Palace, is the King’s official residence in Scotland.

The Lord Provost welcomed the King into “your ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland” before handing over the keys as a sign of civic welcome. The King gives them back for safe keeping.

Holyrood Week stretches beyond the opening ritual. It includes an investiture in the Great Gallery at Holyroodhouse, where Scottish residents are recognised for significant contributions to society, and a garden party that can host around 8,000 guests. More than 30,000 guests are invited across the wider Holyrood Week programme. The Royal Company of Archers, the King’s official bodyguards in Scotland since 1822, provide the ceremonial avenues and Grand Circle for the garden party.

The 2026 programme was scheduled to run from 30 June to 3 July and to bring King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Scotland alongside Prince William and the Duke of Edinburgh. It was scheduled to include the Order of the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral and a concluding Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award celebration. In 2025, the King met Service Chiefs before receiving a Royal Salute and inspecting the Balaklava Company, 5 SCOTS Guard of Honour.