Updated 5 p.m.
A crowd of over 100,000 people waving Papal and Scottish flags greeted Pope Benedict at the start of his four-day visit to Britain this morning and a huge crowd also turned out for an open air Mass which is to be held this afternoon in Glasgow, Scotland.
People waved enthusiastically as they lined the main streets of Edinburgh, four deep in some places of Princes Street, to watch the Pontiff being driven by in the Popemobil, to the playing of bag-pipes. The Pope wore a Scottish tartan shawl as he waved to the people.
Protests against the Pope - in an area designated for the purpose - were fewer than expected.
The Pope began his state visit to the UK by saying that he was holding out "a hand of friendship" to each British citizen.
Pope Benedict said on his flight to the UK that the Catholic Church had dropped its guard on paedophilia and had failed to deal with the issue quickly enough. He told journalists on board his plane that the Catholic Church "has not been vigilant enough" on the issue of priests who abused children.
After arriving at Edinburgh Airport aboard an Alitalia flight, he was driven to the Palace of Holyroodhouse for an audience with the Queen.
Addressing the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh as he stood alongside them outside the Palace, the pontiff said: Thank you for your gracious invitation to make an official visit to the United Kingdom and for your warm words of greeting on behalf of the British people.
"In thanking Your Majesty, allow me to extend my own greetings to all the people of the United Kingdom and to hold out a hand of friendship to each one.
"It is a great pleasure for me to start my journey by saluting the members of the Royal Family."
In Glasgow, where the Pope arrived in the afternoon, a crowd of some 80,000 faced a stage decked with yellow flowers, a large cross and a marble lectern from where the Pope will give his homily.
The sun shone as they enjoyed musical entertainment, including a performance by Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus, who is from Glasgow.
Paul Jennings, 48, from the Pollokshields area of the city, brought his two girls, Mirren, nine and Carly, seven.
He said: "I was here back in 1982 when Pope John Paul II was here. It was a fantastic experience and I wanted the kids to experience it too.
"My brother is terminally ill and I wanted to come and say a prayer for him today.
Some people carried white and yellow flags as they streamed into the park.
A huge cheer went up from the crowd when Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle took to the stage.
Wearing a long black coat and heels, Boyle, 49, sang the tune that catapulted her to fame, I Dreamed A Dream from the hit musical Les Miserables.
She will take to the stage again during the mass and is expected to meet the Pope.
Outside the park, around a dozen people from the Zion Baptist Church in Glasgow staged a protest, which appeared to be the only demonstration against the Pope's visit in the west of Scotland.
The group carried placards with the words "God save Scotland from popery" and "Exalt Christ not the Pope".