King Charles III called for debate to be conducted with “respect and courtesy” and urged the protection of “Scotland’s extraordinary natural environment” as he and Queen Camilla attended the opening of the Scottish Parliament’s new session on Saturday.
The King addressed MSPs to mark the beginning of Holyrood’s seventh session since its establishment in 1999. Following the ceremony, the royal couple met local heroes nominated by MSPs for their “extraordinary contribution” to communities.
King’s Address to Holyrood
In his speech, the King said: “It gives me the greatest pleasure to join you once again for the opening of a new session of the Scottish Parliament. I make no apology for referring – again – to the incredible importance of protecting Scotland’s precious natural capital.”
He emphasised the interconnection between nature and humanity: “It has long been my most fundamental belief that the natural world and human communities are not competing interests, but deeply interwoven ones; that there is an essential harmony between the health of our planet, the natural systems on which we depend and the health of the people that live upon the Earth.”
Call for Respectful Debate
The King acknowledged the challenges of the current global situation, stating: “In a global situation of rapid and seemingly accelerating challenge, there will, inevitably, be some aims which can be attained, and others, even with the best efforts, which will remain ambitions only.”
He urged parliamentarians to lead by example: “Let us continue to show by example that debate can be carried out with respect and courtesy, that disagreement is possible while honouring one another’s dignity, and it is recognised – whatever views may exist as to the means – that all those engaged in public service are seeking the same end – the good of the society we serve.”
First Minister’s Response
First Minister John Swinney responded, saying that with “uncertainty fuelling deep, personal anxiety, powerful forces bent on division, new politics is, for us, the basis for a renewed hope.” He added: “The question today is will we, collectively, live out the new culture of politics that was part of the founding promise, indeed the founding spirit of this place?”
Cultural Performances
The ceremony included a reading by Scotland’s makar Pàdraig MacAoidh, who delivered a poem in Gaelic titled Let This Hall Be Full Of Noises. Harpist Rachel Groves and vocalist Ellie Beaton performed Robert Burns’s Ae Fond Kiss.
To close the meeting, the Parliament’s piper, MSP Stuart McMillan, performed Bonnie Dundee and A Hundred Pipers in the members’ garden as the King and Queen departed.
