King Charles marks second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death with Scottish church service

The King on Sunday marked the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death and his accession to the throne in a reflective mood at church.

He and Queen Camilla arrived at Crathie Kirk, the tiny Scottish church near the royal Balmoral estate, to attend a Sunday service, with special prayers for his mother who died at her beloved Aberdeenshire castle on September 8, 2022.

Sources say the monarch spent the rest of the day privately – very much like the Queen did when marking the date of her accession in 1952. From then until she died aged 96, she would stay at Sandringham in Norfolk, where George VI passed away at only 56.

As a monarch’s accession is so intrinsically intertwined with the death of a parent, it is not considered a moment for “celebration” but one for quiet reflection.

However, as this year’s anniversary fell on a Sunday, the King was content to attend his usual morning church service.

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, was also present.

Crathie Kirk was a favourite place of worship for the Queen.

Its minister, Rev Kenneth MacKenzie, told the Mail: “It was not a memorial service, but mention was made of the significance of this particular day and prayers were said to celebrate the life, service and faith of the late Queen, as well as her family, the King and all generations of his family.”

“We were very involved (with events) when she died and there are a lot of people here who wished to mark the day.”

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

The Queen, dressed in a green jacket with red and green tartan lapels and a green hat decorated with a feather, smiled at onlookers as she held her handbag on her lap. The King wore a pink flower in the lapel of his grey jacket.

Among a small group of well-wishers who gathered to see the was visiting Scotland from Christchurch in New Zealand. Mrs Brandish and her husband saw the King waving at the crowd as he entered the church, saying “he was very gracious”.

She said: “Most people in New Zealand follow the Royal Family quite closely and are aware of the anniversary.”

The guest preacher at the service described the anniversary as “particularly significant and poignant for the Royal Family”.

Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said he had remembered the Royal Family in his prayers during his sermon and it was a privilege to preach to the King, the Queen and the rest of the congregation.

After the service, he described how Charles was “very much part of” the community around Balmoral, just like the late Queen. Tributes were also publicly paid to the late Queen to mark the anniversary, with the monarchy’s X account posting a photograph of the Queen smiling at a summer Buckingham Palace garden party in 2019.

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

Sir Keir Starmer posted: “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.”

The King has commissioned a new hymn in honour of Crathie Kirk, written by Paul Mealor, which was performed on BBC’s Songs Of Praise yesterday.

Host Claire McCollum met Rev MacKenzie to reflect on the Queen’s deep faith and how she always felt part of his congregation.