King Charles makes Dunfermline a city, fulfilling his ‘dear mother’s’ wishes
Queen Elizabeth personally chose to bestow city status on Dunfermline in her beloved Scotland just months before she died.
As the King formally carried out her wishes on Monday, he paid an affectionate tribute to the late monarch, saying that the historic moment would “gladden my dear mother’s heart, as it certainly gladdens mine.”
Hundreds lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen Consort on their first joint engagement since the end of royal mourning.
The couple retreated to Birkhall, Charles’s home on the Balmoral estate, on September 20, the day after the Queen’s funeral, to grieve in private.
In a short speech at Dunfermline City Chambers, the King noted that the late Queen’s “deep love for Scotland was one of the foundations of her life.”
He added: “There could be no more fitting way to mark my beloved mother’s extraordinary life of service than by granting this honour to a place made famous by its own long and distinguished history, and by the indispensable role it has played in the life of our country.”
The couple then made the short walk to Dunfermline Abbey to mark its 950th anniversary, following in the footsteps of the late Queen, who visited to celebrate its 900th.
They later travelled to Edinburgh to host a reception celebrating British South Asian communities at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where business and charity leaders formed crowds of ten-deep to shake hands and take selfies.
The late Queen, who died at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire on September 8, granted eight communities city status in May to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
The other winners were Bangor in Northern Ireland, Wrexham in Wales, Douglas on the Isle of Man and Stanley in the Falkland Isles, as well as Colchester, Doncaster and Milton Keynes.
The former towns each made a bid for city status as part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition and were asked to highlight their royal associations, as well as showcasing their communities and local identity.
Dunfermline, the burial place of Robert the Bruce, was Scotland’s capital and seat of power from the 11th century until 1437, when the status was transferred to Edinburgh following the assassination of James I.
On arrival in Dunfermline, the King, wearing the Old Stewart Tartan, and the Queen Consort, in a tartan outfit by Mr Roy, were met with huge cheers.
