How King Charles Will Honor Queen Elizabeth Two Years After Her Death

King Charles will mark the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death with a service of prayer and reflection on Sunday in Scotland.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will attend the private service at Crathie Church near Balmoral, where they are continuing their traditional six-week summer residence. Palace aides have said it will be a “private day of reflection” for the couple, who will mark the occasion at Balmoral where Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022, at age 96.

On Saturday, Charles, who has been undergoing treatment following a cancer diagnosis in February, will attend the Braemar Games, a Highland tradition much loved by his late mother and father, Prince Philip. During her reign, Queen Elizabeth attended the games every year with her family, a tradition King Charles is keen to continue.

“It’s very fitting for the King to be in Scotland, the country his mother loved so much, and where she died, on the anniversary of her death,” Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I, about the relationship between King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II. “It is only two years since her death, but a lot has happened. The transition from Queen Elizabeth to King Charles has been seamless. It’s not been too much of a jump and while I think many people worried Charles was too old for the job, his maturity has proved exactly what we needed at a time of turbulence.”

Certainly, the past two years have been a time of change. As he reflects on his mother’s life and legacy, this weekend will also be an opportunity for Charles to contemplate the many challenges the royal family has faced. Just 18 months after his coronation, King Charles was diagnosed with cancer after undergoing treatment for a benign prostate condition. His daughter-in-law Kate Middleton also announced she had been diagnosed with cancer weeks later following major abdominal surgery in January.

“It has not been the year that anyone thought it would be and it has presented logistical challenges, but the King and Queen have made the best of very difficult circumstances,” said a palace aide. “Following the King’s cancer diagnosis, adjustments were made to his diary program and for about three months he was unable to carry out public-facing duties to minimize the risk to him while he went through treatment.”

In hindsight, it was a relatively short period out of the spotlight and Charles continued to carry out light deskwork.

“Since the accession and throughout his treatment the King has kept the focus on his core issues; climate, community, culture and the Commonwealth,” added the palace aide. “Now another ‘c’ has been added to the list – cancer. The King can now engage with the cancer community on a very real and human level. Rather than shy away from the subject he has leaned into it and personally highlighted the need for screening. I would expect that we will see more of that in the future. He now has a personal stake in the game. It has buoyed him to see how his own condition can highlight issues around cancer awareness. The same for the Queen who carried out a cancer-related engagement this week.”

In the period Charles was unable to carry out engagements, Queen Camilla stepped up, traveling around the country visiting centers and organizations. Privately, Charles was frustrated that the fatigue from his treatment was holding him up, but as aides point out, he has ticked the boxes for each of the cornerstones of his work since becoming King.

In December, King Charles delivered an address at the COP28 climate summit in which he warned the world remained “dreadfully far off track” in key climate targets.

“The COP Showcase speech he gave stands out as ground-breaking,” added the aide. “It’s extraordinary for our head of state to be invited to speak at such a conference.”

There have also been a handful of state visits to France and Germany, and to one Commonwealth country, Kenya. The King has also received the President of South Africa, the President of South Korea and the Emperor and Empress of Japan most recently in June.

While King Charles could not attend the Commonwealth Day service in March, he recorded a video statement, and this autumn, Charles and Queen Camilla will carry out a tour to Australia and attend a Commonwealth summit in Samoa.

“Despite the unexpected challenges, I think the real surprise has been there has not been much change, it has all felt pretty stable,” one palace insider commented. “The net outcome is that people have done a stock take of both the King and the Queen. Having a serious illness has to a degree made people think they are doing rather a good job under the circumstances. The late Queen was something of a deity, almost untouchable, but that was never going to work for the King. Both he and the Queen are very human people. They hug people in the street and that feels right.

They are very human and with that comes human frailties and challenges. There have been family challenges and health challenges too.”

While things between King Charles and Prince Harry remain strained, Charles has made it clear he wants a relationship with his son. He is aware of the importance of a unified royal family and projecting such an image. It is why his coronation balcony appearance was so important. “It established Charles as king and Camilla as queen in people’s minds and globally, that was a challenge,” remarked Seward. “It wasn’t a given that people would accept her and she knew that. She has been very humble as Queen consort and that has been key to her success.”

When the royal family presented themselves once again to the world at Trooping the Colour in June, King Charles and Queen Camilla took center stage. Flanked by Prince William, Princess Kate and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, they projected an image of unity and resilience.

“The fact that the King and the Princess of Wales have been diagnosed with cancer has been a real leveler,” said Seward. “This looks like a monarchy more in touch with its people than ever. They just need to keep it that way.”

Prince Harry and Prince William Reportedly Kept Their Distance at Their Uncle’s Funeral

Did You Like Joker? In Folie à Deux, the Joke’s on You