The Queen has officially opened the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament, stating it has “truly come of age”.
Accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, she addressed MSPs and other guests inside the Holyrood chamber on Friday.
The opening ceremony also included a speech from First Minister Alex Salmond, Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick and a programme of music and Scots poetry, as part of a wider celebration featuring a “riding” of the Royal Mile, a military procession and an open day for the public inside the Parliament.
The Queen began her address by praising the Parliament’s previous presiding officers, who she said had contributed towards the “high reputation and good conduct” of Holyrood.
She drew laughter from the audience as she added: “No-one would ever argue that Scottish politics is the business of the meek, the passive or the faint-hearted.
