King and Queen Camilla remember late Queen on second anniversary of her death

The King and Queen gathered in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II at a poignant church service near Balmoral, two years on from her death.

Charles and Queen Camilla headed to the tiny granite Crathie Kirk, where the late Queen was a regular and devout worshipper, on Royal Deeside in the late summer sunshine for prayers and reflection on Sunday morning.

Guest preacher at the divine service the Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson described the anniversary as “particularly significant and poignant for the royal family” and said he remembered them in his prayers during his sermon.

Charles, 75, has faced a personally challenging year, marked by the difficult double health blow of his cancer diagnosis and that of his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales.

Onlookers said the King waved and was “very gracious” to the small crowd of well-wishers who waited to see him enter the church on the second anniversary of his historic accession to the throne.

Dr Paterson, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said after the hour-long service it was a privilege to preach to the King, the Queen and rest of the congregation which included Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney.

He described how the King was “very well known and liked” in the local community around Balmoral and is “very much part of it”, just like the late Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II was said to never be happier than when she was staying at her beloved Balmoral Castle.

The private Scottish home in Aberdeenshire – which now belongs to the King – has been handed down to her through generations of royals after being bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852.

“It was a privilege to preach to the congregation of Crathie Kirk, which included King Charles III and members of the royal family,” Dr Paterson said.

“This weekend is particularly significant and poignant for the royal family, indeed for all of us in Scotland, across the wider UK and Commonwealth, because the 8th of September marks the second anniversary of the death of Her Majesty the Queen and His Majesty’s accession to the throne.”

He added: “Like his late mother, His Majesty is very well known and liked in this community and is very much part of it. I remembered the royal family, along with all the people of this parish and the wider nation and Commonwealth in my prayers.”

The service was led by Rev Kenneth MacKenzie, minister of the Parish of Braemar and Crathie and domestic chaplain to the King.

Rev MacKenzie ministered the late Queen in her final days and supported the royal family following her death.

A member of the Chapel Royal, he has provided pastoral and spiritual support to the royals since 2005.

The King could be seen, with his window slightly open, in the back seat of the maroon state Bentley with Camilla at his side as they arrived at the church at 11.25am.

The vehicle made its way slowly up the short drive, past the traditional red phone box which stands on the corner.

Camilla, dressed in a green jacket with red and green tartan lapels and a green hat decorated with a feather, smiled at awaiting photographers and camera crews as she held her handbag on her lap.

The King, who had a pink flower in the lapel of his charcoal grey jacket, was seen adjusting his cuffs as he prepared for the service.

Duty called later in the day for the head of state when he issued a message expressing his “heartfelt congratulations” to Paralympics GB and Commonwealth athletes for their “numerous successes” at the Paris Games.

Charles praised the “courage, commitment and true talent” of the teams as the Games drew to a close.

The King has been staying at Balmoral, where the late Queen died peacefully at the age of 96 on September 8 2022.

Diane Brandish, a tourist visiting Scotland from Christchurch in New Zealand, was among those who saw the King and said catching a sight of him was an unexpected “bonus” on her holiday.

She added: “We happened to be coming by and I didn’t realise that King Charles would be here.

“Most people in New Zealand follow the royal family quite closely and are aware of the anniversary.”

Diane and her husband saw the King waving at the crowd as he entered the church, saying “he was very gracious”.

Tributes were paid to the late Queen, with the monarchy’s official social media account posting a photograph on X, formerly Twitter, of the late Queen beaming at a summer Buckingham Palace garden party in 2019.

The image of the smiling monarch, in a pale pink hat and matching outfit, appeared alongside the words: “Remembering Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022″.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meanwhile hailed the “70 glorious years of her reign”.

“Today marks two years since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II,” Sir Keir said in a message posted on social media.

“The late Queen’s dedication to the UK and Commonwealth taught us that whatever challenges our country faces, the value of service always endures.

“For the 70 glorious years of her reign, she was at the heart of this nation’s life. Today we honour her memory.”

The BBC’s Songs Of Praise was broadcast from Crathie Kirk on Sunday for the first time to mark the anniversary.

The pre-recorded programme featured a new hymn tune commissioned by the King, entitled Crathie in honour of the cherished church, and sung to the words of Come Thou Font Of Every Blessing.

The gentle, uplifting melody was written by composer Professor Paul Mealor, the church’s resident director of music, who also created a piece for Charles’s coronation.

Presenter Claire McCollum was shown the royal pews where the monarch sits, and she chatted to Rev MacKenzie, who spoke of the late Queen’s interest in her fellow parishioners.

Describing the time he spent with Elizabeth II and also the King, Rev MacKenzie said: “I found it hugely rewarding, a real privilege, and getting to spend times with them at moments of good times and not so good times of course.”

He added of the late Queen’s death: “We felt that loss because there was that connectiveness with this area.

“The Queen would speak to me about church life, and parish life. She would ask me about individual people in the parish. ‘How’s so and so doing?'”