Former Moderator receives King’s Medal for coronation role
Published on 10 May 2024 2 minutes read
A former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has been honoured by His Majesty King Charles III.
Very Rev Dr Iain Greenshields was awarded the King's Medal for the key role he played in the monarch's coronation at Westminster Abbey, London on 6 May, 2023.
The minister of St Margaret's Community Church in Dunfermline, Fife said: "I was very surprised to receive it.
"It was just something you do on the part of the Church rather than for any recognition."
Dr Greenshields described the medal as a "lovely memento of what was an exceptional and historic occasion for the Church."
The minister presented King Charles with a specially made Bible as his first gift on which to take the oath, a tradition which has been part of every coronation since Mary II and William III in 1689.
"You knew that offering him the Bible, which was his choice, meant something to him," said Dr Greenshields.
"That was something that meant a great deal to me.
"It's only afterward that you step back and think ‘I just presented the Bible to the King and he took the oath on that Bible'.
"It wasn't just a presentation, it was an encouragement to the King, saying these are the lively oracles of God and to advise him that there was wisdom to be found in it."
To commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, around 130,000 medals were struck and awarded to members of the Royal Household, government, armed forces, and others in public service.
The tradition of awarding silver Coronation Medals dates back to the ascension of King Edward VI in 1547.
The awarding of silver medals to those attending the ceremony at Westminster Abbey began in 1603 with the coronation of King James VI.
The Crown has close ties with the Church of Scotland and signing an historic oath to uphold the Presbyterian system of Church governance in Scotland was His Majesty's first act after being officially proclaimed King following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth in September 2022.
Each year, the monarch appoints a Lord High Commissioner to represent them at the General Assembly and they read out a letter on their behalf before undertaking public engagements in their name through the week.
HRH Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, will represent his older brother at the gathering, which runs from 18 May until 23 May.
Like his mother before him, King Charles is an ordinary member of the Church of Scotland while in Scotland and regularly attends Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.