CROWN JEWELS AT THE SIGNET LIBRARY

Deputy Keeper Mandy Laurie and other leading representatives of the Scottish legal profession were in attendance at the Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St. Giles Kirk on 5 July during which His Majesty King Charles III, accompanied by Queen Camilla, was presented with the Honours of Scotland. Participating in the ceremony itself were Writers to the Signet Adam Bruce (Marchmont Herald) and John Stirling (Ormond Pursuivant), both Officers of Arms at the Court of the Lord Lyon. The Honours of Scotland were received at the Signet Library following the Service, with the Crown of Scotland, the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles, borne by the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon. It was accompanied by the Sceptre, originally a gift from Pope Alexander VI to King James IV in 1494, borne by Lady Dorrian, and the new Sword of State, the Elizabeth Sword, in use for the first time and borne by Dame Katherine Grainger. The Honours were guarded by another institution with profound links to the WS Society, the Royal Company of Archers.