The King has attended church near Balmoral for prayers and reflection in memory of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on the second anniversary of her death.
Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Crathie Kirk, where the late Queen was a regular and devout worshipper, on Royal Deeside in the late summer sunshine for the Sunday morning service, two years on from Charles’s accession to the throne.
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 headed to the place of worship 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 grey jacket, was seen adjusting his cuffs as he prepared for poignant service.
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.
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.
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 September 8 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.
One of a small group of wellwishers who gathered to see the monarch was Diane Brandish, a tourist visiting Scotland from Christchurch in New Zealand.
King ‘very gracious’ to crowds at Crathie Kirk
Diana and her husband saw the King waving at the crowd as he entered the church, saying “he was very gracious”.
She said catching sight of the King was an unexpected “bonus” in her holiday, saying: “We happened to be coming by and I didn’t realise that King Charles would be here.”
She added: “Most people in New Zealand follow the royal family quite closely and are aware of the anniversary.”
The King, 75, has been staying on his Aberdeenshire estate, where the late Queen died peacefully at the age of 96 on September 8 2022.
On Saturday, the King attended the Braemar Gathering.
Tributes have been paid to the late Queen to mark the anniversary, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailing 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.”
Conversation