King Charles Kept This Royal Tradition On The Anniversary Of The Queen's Death

Throughout her historic 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II was admired for her strict adherence to royal convention, and King Charles III followed one of his late mother’s royal traditions on the one-year anniversary of her death.

As royal spectators will recall, one of the late Queen’s long-standing traditions was to spend much of the summer at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and the former British monarch was so fond of the Scottish estate, that she would oftentimes stay there until October. As Woman & Home notes, King Charles and Queen Camilla have a state visit to France scheduled in late September, meaning they likely won’t remain at Balmoral for as long as Queen Elizabeth once did. However, the royal couple enjoyed a well-deserved break at the historic residence in the summer following his mother’s death, just as the Queen would have done during her reign.

As per Hello!, the King and Queen attended a private church service close to Balmoral Castle on Friday, Sept. 8, to honor the one-year anniversary of his mother’s passing. Speaking to the publication, the minister of Crathie Kirk, Reverend Kenneth Mackenzie, described the service as “simple and reflective.”

“We were able to give thanks for the life of the late Queen and recognize the poignancy of this day for that family and this community,” Reverend Mackenzie added. “I think that those of us that did get to see the Queen in different situations, but particularly up here, felt it today, were reminded of the loss.”

Meanwhile, speaking to OK!, royal expert Hugo Vickers explained that King Charles’ summer spent at the Balmoral estate will be a “poignant” one in light of his mother’s passing.

“They have all been so busy, what with the coronation and other commitments, that when they did get up there, I think that yes, it will have hit them,” Vickers said, days before the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. “Her absence will have been felt and I’m sure it’s been very poignant for them. No one will have been in those rooms since she died.”