26 June 2026
The programme for the Opening Ceremony of the Scottish Parliament, taking place on Saturday 27 June, has been announced today.
Their Majesties The King and Queen will attend the event, which will formally mark the beginning of the Seventh Session of the Parliament.
The day will start with The Crown of Scotland being escorted from Edinburgh Castle. Along with the Elizabeth Sword, the Crown of Scotland will be processed into the Scottish Parliament through a guard of honour made up of young people from across Scotland.
Following the arrival of The King and Queen, the event in our Debating Chamber will begin with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Brass Ensemble performing a Fanfare composed by Sir James McMillan KT CBE and conducted by John Logan.
The Mace will be carried by Robert White, an administrator at the Scottish Parliament. Three Team Scotland athletes who are competing in the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games will also be part of the procession. Boxer Nicholas Devlin will carry the Elizabeth Sword accompanied by para-athlete Joanna Robertson who will be racing on the athletics track and Beth Riva who is competing in Bowls.
The Officers of Arms will be accompanied by young people from Young Scot, the Scottish Youth Parliament, RNIB Scotland (Haggeye), the John Smith Centre Parliamentary Internship Programme, sportscotland’s Young People’s Sport panel and the Young Women’s movement. The Crown of Scotland will be borne by the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon escorted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.
The event, which will be broadcast live from 11.30am, will include opening remarks from the Presiding Officer, Kenneth Gibson MSP. His Majesty The King will then make an address to the Chamber.
The First Minister John Swinney MSP will respond to His Majesty’s address.
The event also celebrates the special anniversaries of two of Scotland’s cultural organisations with specially commissioned performances.
The National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS) is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and members of the NYCOS Edinburgh Regional Choir and NYCOS BSL Youth Choir will perform Sarah Quartel’s The Beat of a Different Drum. National Theatre of Scotland will present As Others See Us written and directed by Martin O’Connor, incorporating a poem to celebrate their 20th anniversary and an excerpt from their acclaimed production Through the Shortbread Tin and performed by members of The Lyceum Youth Theatre.
Scotland’s Makar Pàdraig MacAoidh [Peter Mackay] will deliver a poem in Gaelic called Let This Hall be Full of Noises.
Ae Fond Kiss, by Robert Burns will be performed by Rachel Groves (clarsach) and Ellie Beaton (vocalist), who are the current and previous winners of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year. The Parliament’s piper Stuart McMillan MSP will play Bonnie Dundee and A Hundred Pipers from the Members’ Garden to close the event.
Their Majesties will then meet Local Heroes, who have been nominated by MSPs for their extraordinary contribution to their local communities.
The King and Queen will then depart the Scottish Parliament through a Guard of Honour made up of young people. Hope Keating, 5, from Girlguiding Scotland will present a posy to The Queen.
The event will be streamed live on the Scottish Parliament’s Facebook and SPTV channels. The live broadcast will begin from 11.30am on Saturday 27 June.
The young people forming a Guard of Honour for the arrival of the Crown of Scotland and Elizabeth Sword and for the departure of Their Majesties The King and Queen are from the following organisations: Girlguiding Scotland, John Smith Centre, RNIB Scotland (Haggeye), Scottish Youth Parliament, Scouts Scotland, sportscotland, The Boys’ Brigade, The Girls’ Brigade in Scotland, The Young Women’s Movement and Young Scot.
The Army in Scotland provided ceremonial support to the event.
The Escort to the Crown was provided by 19th Regiment Royal Artillery and the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS) who also lined the route for the procession of Their Majesties The King and Queen from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the Queensberry House entrance to Parliament.
Balaklava Company, the 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (BKA Coy, 5 SCOTS) provided the large Guard of Honour of the Forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse supported by the Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Musical accompaniment throughout the ceremony was provided by 2 SCOTS Pipes, Drums and Bugles and the Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
F Coy, The Scots Guards provided guard at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle.
Royal Conservatoire Brass is an ensemble led by John Logan, comprising of senior students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The musicians have already built-up considerable experience both as soloists and as orchestral players, working regularly with organisations such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The ensemble’s repertoire is wide-ranging, spanning five centuries in a variety of styles from original works for brass, to arrangements of popular classics and jazz.
The National Youth Choir of Scotland is the country’s largest youth singing organisation, founded in 1996 by Christopher Bell, and celebrating their 30th Anniversary. It nurtures generations of Scottish vocal talent, providing top-tier training and performance opportunities for children and young adults from infancy up to age 25 through a network of national and regional choirs.
The National Theatre of Scotland is Scotland’s pioneering “theatre without walls”. Established in 2006, and celebrating their 20th Anniversary, it has no permanent venue; instead, the company collaborates with artists to stage hundreds of dynamic, globally acclaimed productions in conventional theatres, village halls, schools, and site-specific locations like airports, forests, and ferries.
Ellie Beaton, BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2025, and Rachel Groves, BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2026, perform Ae Fond Kiss.
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Kirsty Rimmer
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