King Charles wears a favourite kilt in the Prince Charles Edward Stuart tartan

King Charles donned one of his favourite tartans as he joined his siblings to stand vigil around their mother’s coffin in Edinburgh this evening. 

After a short procession, King Charles III, Anne, the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward each stood on one of the four corners of the oak coffin with their heads bowed in a ceremony known as the Vigil of the Princes. 

The King sported a kilt in the Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan, also called the Prince Charles Edward Stuart tartan, for the solemn ceremony.

The Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan is a variation on the Royal Stewart tartan, which traces its origins back to the House of Stewart, according to the Scottish Register of Tartans. 

King Charles donned one of his favourite tartans as he joined his siblings to stand vigil around their mother’s coffin in Edinburgh this evening. The King sported a kilt in the Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan for the solemn ceremony, pictured

The Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan is a variation on the Royal Stewart tartan, which traces its origins back to the House of Stewart, according to the Scottish Register of Tartans. Pictured, King Charles in the tartan kilt while leaving Holyrood earlier today

The Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan is a variation on the Royal Stewart tartan, which traces its origins back to the House of Stewart, according to the Scottish Register of Tartans. Pictured, King Charles in the tartan kilt while leaving Holyrood earlier today 

The widespread use of the tartan is thought to trace back to King George IV, who donned a kilt in the tartan for a historic visit to Scotland in 1822 – the first by a reigning monarch in almost 200 years. 

According to the Scottish Register of Tartans, the Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan was worn as the regimental tartan by the 72nd Duke of Albany’s Own in the 1800s.

The primary Royal Stewart tartan was adopted by Queen Victoria for the Royal Family. King George V made attempts to restrict its use for the Royal Family but it proved impossible due to its already widespread popularity. 

It remained the official tartan of the Queen and, in turn, her son, who has sported it on a number of previous occasions. 

The King has a choice of several tartans including the Balmoral and the Stewart Hunting.   

The King and his family stood alongside four suited members of the Royal Company of Archers, who were standing guard dressed in long-feathered hats and armed with arrows and quivers.

Prince of Tartan! The Duke of Rothsay - aka Prince Charles - dons the family's official tartan as he arrived at the Castle of Mey in Caithness

Prince of Tartan! The Duke of Rothsay – aka Prince Charles – dons the family’s official tartan as he arrived at the Castle of Mey in Caithness

Members of the public – who have been filing past the coffin in their thousands throughout the afternoon – were briefly held back to allow the royals to take their place. However, they continued to file past once the vigil began, offering them an extraordinary perspective on the historic moment.

A number of members of the public bowed as they passed the King, with others walking solemnly by with heads down. 

Charles wore white heather in his lappelle from Balmoral, while Anne and Edward appeared in military uniform.

However, Andrew – despite having served in the Falklands War – wore only a morning suit, having been banned from wearing uniform on public occasions following his exile from public life amid the fallout from his role in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The Duke of York will only be permitted to appear in military dress during a second Vigil of the Princes in Westminster Hall.

 The King kept his hands joined and also looked towards the floor as members of the public filed past

Members of the public - who have been filing past the coffin in their thousands throughout the afternoon - were briefly held back to allow the royals to take their place. However, they continued to file past once the vigil began, offering them an extraordinary perspective on the historic moment

Members of the public – who have been filing past the coffin in their thousands throughout the afternoon – were briefly held back to allow the royals to take their place. However, they continued to file past once the vigil began, offering them an extraordinary perspective on the historic moment

 Members of the public – who have been filing past the coffin in their thousands throughout the afternoon – continued to file past as the royals stood completely still

The Duke of York kept his eyes closed for a period of time during the vigil, while the Princess Royal and Earl of Wessex had their eyes fixed towards the floor

The Duke of York kept his eyes closed for a period of time during the vigil, while the Princess Royal and Earl of Wessex had their eyes fixed towards the floor

The tradition has been honoured since the death of King George V in 1936, with Princess Anne today becoming the first female royal to take part.

The Queen Consort and Countess of Wessex sat on seats opposite the coffin while the vigil, which began at at 7.46pm and finished it at 7.56pm, took place in the ancient cathedral. The Archers have been completing 20-minute periods of standing guard at the coffin, which will remain at St Giles’ for 24 hours before it is taken to London to lie in state.

Members of the crowd cheered as Charles arrived at the cathedral, and as he departed. As he drove past them, they took pictures and video and said: ‘Here he is. Here he is. It’s the King.’

Charles waved at onlookers waiting at the barriers to see him. One woman was heard to say: ‘I missed him earlier and travelled up from Glasgow to see him. I waited five hours – I finally saw him.’

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