Not only will their visit to Dunfermline next week see the royal burgh granted city status - an accolade confirmed during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year - but it will also mark a new chapter in the city’s storied royal history.

The nation’s former capital was the birthplace of Charles I, the last monarch to be born in Scotland. Three years after his birth, the Union of the Crowns saw his father, James VI, inherit the English crown. Now, more than four centuries on, the royal heritage of Dunfermline remains a significant part of its past.

It was first recorded in the 11th century with the marriage of Malcolm III, King of Scots, and Saint Margaret at a church which evolved into the A-listed Dunfermline Abbey. The ancient seat of worship, founded 950 years ago, was later established as a royal mausoleum for the Scottish crown, and is the final resting place of no less than 18 royals, including seven kings.

All of this, coupled with its cultural heritage and distinct local identity, helped Dunfermline secure city status, and hopefully, it will help bolster the local economy, raise its profile, and generally instil civil pride, as happened with Perth a decade ago when it received city status.

But another question is what will the visit achieve for the new King and the institution he now helms? Charles surely knows better than anyone that support for monarchy in Scotland has long been synonymous with the affection in which his mother was held.

Now that he has taken the throne, he must find ways of renewing and reinforcing his family’s ties with Scotland, particularly at a time when the nation’s constitutional future is anything but certain.

That will require innovative ideas, but so too, it relies on strengthening historic links. Dunfermline is a smart place to start. It has been a long time since it has welcomed a king. The wait is nearly over.

Charles visit is recognition of Dunfermline's royal ties

Comments