King and Queen Consort to visit Dunfermline

The King and his Queen Consort will hold their first joint public engagements since royal mourning ended by visiting Dunfermline on Monday to mark the former town becoming a city.

Charles and Camilla will be welcomed to Dunfermline in Fife by community groups including a local pipe band and schoolchildren.

They will attend an official council meeting at the City Chambers where the King will formally mark the conferral of city status on Dunfermline and make a short speech.

After the ceremony they will visit Dunfermline Abbey to mark its 950th anniversary, and will meet with representatives from Historic Scotland to learn about the history of the local area and conservation of the site.

Eight places have won city status as part of the late monarch’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Dunfermline’s bid for the status was based on its heritage and its historic status as an ancient seat of royal power, but also one of the fastest-growing towns in Europe.

The King and his wife will also host a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Monday to celebrate British South Asian communities.

They will meet with between 200 and 300 guests of British Indian, Pakistani, Bangladesh, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, Bhutanese and Maldivian heritage from across the UK.

The event will recognise the contribution many from these communities have made to the National Health Service, arts, media, education, business and the Armed Forces.

Charles will also hold an investiture ceremony for a small group of local people, his first as King.