King Charles and Prince William attend Order of the Thistle service in Edinburgh

King Charles and Prince William appeared together at the annual Order of the Thistle service at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on July 1, Royal Central reported, during the royal family's Royal Week in Scotland.

Per the report, the King attended as Sovereign of the Order and was joined by Queen Camilla, with Prince William wearing the Order's deep green velvet mantle and black velvet hat topped with white ostrich feathers. Members processed from the Signet Library before gathering in the cathedral.

Royal Central noted the standing of those attending: Prince William has been a Royal Knight of the Order since 2012, Queen Camilla was appointed in 2024, and the Princess Royal has been a member since 2000. No new installations were recorded in the available material.

Background

The Order of the Thistle is Scotland's highest order of chivalry and ranks second only to the Order of the Garter in the United Kingdom's honours system. Formally revived by King James VII of Scotland in 1687 and claiming far older roots, it is limited to the Sovereign and sixteen Knights and Ladies, appointed personally by the monarch — one of the few honours that remain in the Sovereign's own gift rather than being conferred on government advice. Membership recognizes Scots, or those with strong Scottish connections, for public service.

The annual service has been held at St Giles' Cathedral since the completion of the Thistle Chapel in 1911, per the report, and is a fixture of the monarch's Royal Week — also called Holyrood Week — the period each summer when the Sovereign takes up residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and carries out a concentrated programme of Scottish engagements. The green-mantled procession through Edinburgh's Old Town is among the most visible ceremonial expressions of the Crown's distinct Scottish identity.

What comes next

The Thistle service sits within the wider Royal Week programme, and the remainder of the family's Scottish engagements will follow the established Holyrood pattern of investitures, garden parties and visits. Watch for any future announcement of new appointments to the Order — vacancies among the sixteen knights are filled at the Sovereign's discretion, and installations would take place at a subsequent St Giles' service.