the royal mile of edinburgh is an ancient thoroughfare, steeped in its progress towards st giles cathedral, the historic high kirk of edinburgh where the queen had sometimes worshipped, not as head of the church here but simply a member. choir sings here, they placed on the coffin the crown of scotland, made in the 16th century for the queen s ancestor, james v, the centrepiece of the scottish crown jewels, also known as the honours of scotland. consider the quiet symbolism of this. it is a gesture towards the distinctive character of scotland s historic nationhood. i welcome all of you to st giles s cathedral. here, john knox confronted mary queen of scots. here, james vi argued about liturgy. here, our late queen received
In the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town, there was a realisation among much of the crowd of thousands: history is not just in the past, but something you can witness in the present.