Bank holiday is added for King’s coronation

Scots will be able to celebrate the King’s coronation over a long weekend after an extra bank holiday was added to the calendar.

The holiday will fall on May 8 following King Charles’ coronation at Westminster Abbey two days earlier and it will take place across the UK. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The coronation will be an historic moment for Scotland, and the Scottish Government wants to give as many people as possible the chance to join the celebrations.”

Meanwhile, army chiefs have launched a search for Scottish soldiers’ personal pictures of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Senior officers want troops to share their own photos from behind the scenes as part of the armed force’s after-action review.

They hope the photographs will help identify any lessons to be learnt from the massive ceremonial mission which was watched by an audience of billions around the globe. The pictures and the subsequent review will help plan future events such as the Coronation of King Charles next year.

HQ Home Command’s Maj Keith Brooks, who was involved in the plans to deal with the Queen’s death, said: “We are looking for informal images that record the experience and tell the story from the shop floor.

“It only happened because soldiers, sailors and airmen dug deep and there will be lots of photos sat on troops’ smartphones that paint the picture, which otherwise may never see the light of day, but which will be invaluable to our successors.

“They will be shown in a seminar at the end of this month as part of the after-action review. Like any military operation it’s important we fully exploit the lessons learnt for the future, for events such as the coronation or others of that nature.”

The Queen’s death in September, at the age of 96, triggered Operation London Bridge, the codename for the plans drawn up to deal with the head of state’s death.

Operation Unicorn, the codename for the plans in Scotland, saw her coffin temporarily rest at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, having been taken there by road from Balmoral.