THE Queen has met with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during her visit to the Edinburgh.
The monarch reflected on the “deep and abiding affection” and happy memories she and the late Duke of Edinburgh shared of Scotland as she formally opened the new session of the Scottish Parliament.
Accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall – known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland – the Queen told MSPs that as the country emerges from the “adverse and uncertain times” of the pandemic, there was an opportunity for “hope and optimism”.
Read More: Queen addresses MSPs at opening of new Scottish Parliament session
The Queen, who has been on her annual break at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, met party and parliamentary leaders in the garden lobby ahead of the ceremony in the debating chamber.
Pictures taken from within Holyrood show Ms Sturgeon and the Queen exchanging a handshake and a few words ahead of the ceremony.
The Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay also met with Scotland’s other party leaders – Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar, Scottish Conservatives’ Douglas Ross, Lorna Slater of the Scottish Greens, and Alex Cole-Hamilton of the Scottish Lib Dems.
Speaking at Holyrood for the first time since Prince Philip’s death, the Queen told the chamber: “Today is also a day when we can celebrate those who have made an extraordinary contribution to the lives of other people in Scotland, locally or nationally during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I have spoken before of my deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country and of the many happy memories Prince Philip and I always held of our time here.
“It is often said that it is the people that make a place. And there are few places where this is truer than in Scotland. As we have seen in recent times.”
Responding to the Queen’s speech, the First Minister offered the parliament’s “deep sympathy and shared sorrow at your loss” and thanked her for being a “steadfast friend of our Parliament since its establishment in 1999”.
Ms Sturgeon continued: “As we battle through the storm of a global pandemic, hope and the hankering for change is perhaps felt more strongly by more people than at any time in our recent history.
“That gives this Parliament a momentous responsibility and a historic opportunity.
“Covid has been the biggest crisis to confront the world since the Second World War – it has caused pain and heartbreak, it has exposed and exacerbated the inequalities within our society.
“But it has also revealed humankind’s boundless capacity for inventiveness, solidarity and love.
“And for those of us in public service, it has reminded us that with collective political will, changes that we might previously have thought impossible or just too difficult can indeed be achieved.
“In the months ahead, we must take the same urgency and resolve with which we have confronted this pandemic and apply it to the hard work of recovery and renewal, to the task of building a fairer and greener future for this and the generations who come after us.”
The ceremony began with the royal mace that sits at the front of the chamber and the Crown of Scotland being brought in, with parliamentary clerk Rea Cris carrying the mace and the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, the hereditary keeper of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, carrying the crown.
The Royal Conservatoire Brass played Fanfare for the Opening of Parliament 2021, composed by John Wallace, to greet the Queen as she entered the chamber.
As the Queen departed the chamber afterwards, Farewell To The Creeks was played by the Scottish Parliament’s piper, Stuart McMillan MSP, from the Members’ Garden.
Afterwards, the Queen, Charles and Camilla were due to meet Scots who have been recognised for their contribution to communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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