Royal fans have arrived early on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile ahead of a special ceremony to mark the King and Queen’s coronation.

The King will be presented with the Honours of Scotland later today at a National Service of Thanksgiving in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.

The festivities in the capital will also include a People’s Procession, a Royal Procession, a 21-gun salute, and a flypast by the Red Arrows.

Carolyn Carr, from Glenrothes in Fife, was up at the crack of dawn to get through to the capital for a top viewing spot on the Royal Mile.

“This is a moment in time,” she said. “The atmosphere has been brilliant, and we’ve been chatting to everyone.

“I think Charles will be a great King. He’s a climate change [champion] and has been speaking about that for the last 40 years.”

Karleen McMahon and her family, who are visiting from Melbourne in Australia, said the celebration was a big “surprise”.

The family have been touring the UK and have been to Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Ms McMahon said: “My daughter, Elyse, has been wanting to see the King and Queen. They weren’t at Buckingham and they weren’t at Windsor, so it’s nice we’re going to be seeing them here in Edinburgh.”

The Fisher clan, from Toronto in Canada, are in Scotland to explore the family’s roots.

Katherine Fisher said: “I’ve even got the Scottish red hair.”

The family said they were “excited” to be a part of the Royal celebrations.

Ms Fisher said: “He’s our King too. Today is going to be a lot of fun.”

Dale Fisher added: “There was a lot of love for the late Queen Elizabeth. I think Charles will be a good King. He cares about things and is a climate [activist]. He’s very thoughtful.”

Rita Calder, from Blantyre in South Lanarkshire, said the day has so far been “amazing”.

She added: “I’m going to enjoy the moment. I hope we get to see the Prince and Princess of Wales too.

“We come to a lot of events in Edinburgh. We were here for the Queen’s Jubilee.

“Queen Elizabeth was long, long established. It’s going to take Charles some time to be able to connect with everyone in the same way too, but I’m sure he will try.”

Protesters have also set up camp along the Royal Mile, chanting “not my King” to the surrounding crowd.

Protester Evie Smith, who lives on the Royal Mile, does not believe the monarchy should be abolished but would like to see the Royals put more money “back into the country”.

She said: “Some people can’t even afford a Sunday dinner. Others like nurses are also looking for better pay.

“I would like to see [the Royals] give significantly more back, as well as all the billionaires.”

Fellow demonstrator Gary Gilbert, from Leith, said in a 21st century Scotland there should be a democratically elected head of state.

He added: “[The Royals] shouldn’t be getting any money from the taxpayer in the first place. That money could be put to better use, like towards nurses. In my opinion, this is outrageous.”

During the ceremony, the sceptre and crown from the Honours of Scotland will be presented to the King, along with the Elizabeth Sword.

The service will feature centuries-old aspects of Scottish royal tradition along with new additions such as pieces of music written specially for the occasion, a psalm sung in Gaelic and the use of passages from the New Testament in Scots.

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Traffic restrictions and temporary road closures will be in place around the Royal Mile during the celebrations.

Those planning to attend are being urged to plan ahead and prepare for changeable weather conditions.

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