Police search for bombs under the floor of the cathedral for ‘Coronation 2.0’ in Edinburgh

A massive security operation is underway to prevent anti-monarchist groups from destroying King Charles’s ‘second coronation’ in Scotland.

Amid extraordinary pageantry, the king will receive the oldest crown jewels in the UK – known as the Honors of Scotland – in a glorious ceremony in Edinburgh on Wednesday to mark his coronation.

The service of dedication and thanksgiving will also be attended by Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.

However, police have received intelligence reports suggesting Republican protesters will attempt to disrupt the event.

The campaign group Republic has distributed a 22-page document entitled Edinburgh Protest Overview in which it pinpoints locations for protests and explains the technicalities of Scotland’s breach of the peace law.

The guide, emblazoned with the group’s slogan of “Not My King,” also includes a section on “what to do if you witness an arrest.”

Another group called Our Republic, which is campaigning for an elected head of state, has announced that it will hold a rally at the event. Supporters staged a demonstration on Calton Hill in Edinburgh during last month’s coronation. “While Charles takes the credit he is entitled to, we will remind that Scotland was never asked to consent to his rule,” the group said.

Scotland Police have stated they will take a ‘proactive approach’ to protest groups, but warned protesters not to engage in ‘offensive’ or ‘threatening’ behaviour.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said: ‘Campaigning and demonstrating is a legitimate, necessary and vital part of life.

“Abusive, threatening behavior or activity intended to disrupt the event that endangers public safety is not a legitimate protest.”

In addition to the threat of anti-monarchists, the police took a series of anti-terror measures this weekend.

St Giles’ Cathedral, where the service will take place, is closed as officials lift the floor to search for devices.

Parts of the Royal Mile, which runs from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse – the monarch’s official Scottish residence – will be cordoned off, nearby roads closed and drones banned.

The centerpiece of Wednesday’s ceremony is the monarch’s receiving a magnificent new sword of state and the ancient crown of Scotland.

Much of the event will mirror the service of devotion and thanksgiving attended by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, on her first visit to Scotland after her coronation in 1953.

St Giles’ Cathedral, where the service will take place, is closed as officials lift the floor to search for devices

The centerpiece of Wednesday’s ceremony is the monarch’s receiving a magnificent new sword of state and the ancient crown of Scotland

Naughty mascot pony got the main escort role

Corporal Cruachan IV’s transgressions are forgiven as the Shetland pony has been given a key role in the King’s forthcoming Scottish coronation

He took a bite out of the late Queen’s sweet pea bush during a state visit to Stirling Castle and tried to nibble Prince Harry’s fingers on his first official joint visit to Scotland with then-fiancée Meghan Markle.

But it seems all Corporal Cruachan IV’s misbehavior has been forgiven, as the Shetland pony has been given a key role in the Scottish King’s forthcoming coronation.

The 14-year-old mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland escorts the People’s Procession from Edinburgh Castle to St Giles Cathedral. At just 11hh (3ft7in), Cruachan IV, or Four as he’s known in military circles, makes up for his small stature with his big personality – and impressive social media following (he has nearly 3,500 followers on Twitter).

When he chewed the late Monarch’s flowers, she was seen laughing and hiding them behind her back before telling him to “go away.”

Despite the historical similarities, the new king has added elements that mark his affection for many aspects of Scottish life.

At Charles’ insistence, the service will include a psalm sung in Gaelic and passages in the Scots language, including part of the first Scots translation of the New Testament.

The famous Stone of Destiny will also be moved from Edinburgh Castle to the cathedral for the service.

The King has also turned to his old school for help in celebrating the event, with three young bagpipers from Gordonstoun, in Moray, set to star in the ceremony.

Hamish Martindale, 16, Patrick Blair, 18, and Elspeth Spencer Jones, 18, will whistle when the Scottish Honors arrive at St Giles’.

They play Scotland The Brave and then Bonnie Lass O Fyvie, after the school was told that the play, about a thwarted romance between a soldier and a girl, is a favorite of King Charles.

Thousands of well-wishers are expected to line the streets of Edinburgh to watch the ‘People’s Procession’ ahead of the service.

The parade, between Edinburgh Castle and St Giles’ Cathedral, starts at 1.15pm and is led by Corporal Cruachan IV, the mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and supported by cadet musicians.

It will also include representatives from charities, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and the Prince’s Trust, as well as young people from Girlguiding, Scouts and the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades.

The King will leave Holyroodhouse at 2.05pm as part of a royal procession that will be up the Royal Mile. Republic has ordered its campaigners to “focus their energies on that procession and not the People’s Procession.”

The Very Rev Professor David Fergusson, Dean of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal in Scotland, who will lead the service at St Giles’, said: ‘It really is a celebration that will involve people from all over Scotland, a service of thanksgiving for what we have in common and a service of devotion in which we will recommit ourselves to the common good of our country.”