05.04.2019
Her Majesty The Queen is to address the Scottish Parliament as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations it has been announced today.
Part of the year long programme of events to mark two decades of devolution, the ceremony on 29th June will take place almost 20 years to the day since the Parliament officially assumed its legal powers.
The Queen, who will be accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay, will formally address MSPs in the Parliament’s Debating Chamber in a ceremony which will see performances celebrating the best of Scottish music and culture.
The occasion will also see MSPs joined by some of the young people who were born on 1 July 1999. These ‘1 July babies’ have grown up with the Parliament and were an integral part of the Parliament’s 10th anniversary events in 2009.
The Parliament’s Presiding Officer the Rt Hon Ken Macintosh MSP said:
“Since the Scottish Parliament was established nearly two decades ago, Her Majesty The Queen has given us her unwavering support. She addressed the newly elected MSPs in July 1999 as we assumed our legislative powers and she has visited Holyrood many times since. Each time with messages of friendship and support.
“It will be a pleasure to welcome Her Majesty and HRH The Duke of Rothesay to the Parliament once again as we celebrate our 20th year.
“In The Queen’s address to the Parliament in 1999, she talked about the start of a new constitutional age and the importance of channelling the energy of the young and being open and accessible to serve all the people of Scotland. As we look ahead to our next 20 years, these are messages that still resonate and sit at the heart of what we do”.
More details of the day, including information about timings and the musical performances will be issued nearer the time.
Background
This will be the ninth time Her Majesty The Queen has addressed the Scottish Parliament. She last did so on Saturday 2 July 2016 as part of the celebrations to mark the opening of the fifth session of the Scottish Parliament.
HRH The Duke of Rothesay last visited the Parliament in 2006 to attend a reception of the Prince’s Trust and has attended a number of Kirking of the Parliament services which take place on the eve of the first sitting of a new parliamentary session.
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body securely processes journalists’ data for the purpose of enabling reporting on the work of the Scottish Parliament, in line with current data protection requirements. You have the right to unsubscribe at any time. For further information, please see our Privacy Notice.