King Charles III participates in 1st public event since death of queen

King Charles III participated in his first public engagement on Monday since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Charles visited Scotland, along with his wife, queen consort Camilla, following the end of the royal mourning period. The Associated Press reported that hundreds of people turned out in the Scottish town of Dunfermline to get a glimpse of the new British monarch. Charles and Camilla reportedly spent time greeting well-wishers, and also had a meeting with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The visit to the ancient village served to formally give city status to Dunfermline, which AP noted was also the birthplace of another similarly named royal — Charles I, the last British monarch from Scotland, who was born in Dunfermline in 1600.

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"We gather to celebrate this great occasion but also to commemorate the life of Her late Majesty, whose deep love for Scotland was one of the foundations of her life," said Charles, who acceded to the throne on Sept. 8 upon his mother's death. "There could be no more fitting way to mark my beloved mother's extraordinary life of service than by granting this honor to a place made famous by its own long and distinguished history."

Following the visit to Dunfermline, the royal couple will head to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh to host a reception.

According to BBC News, Charles will also host his first state visit next month for the South African president.