King Charles and Camilla spotted in matching tartan outfits as they mark 20th wedding anniversary at church service
THE King and Queen have attended a church service near Balmoral where they heard a new piece of music celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary.
Charles and Camilla waved to onlookers as they exited their car outside the tiny granite Crathie Kirk, which is near Balmoral, Aberdeenshire, on Sunday.
Charles was in a kilt and tweed jacket while Camilla wore a blue coat with a tartan lapel and a red hat decorated with a feather.
Queen Elizabeth II was a regular and devout worshipper at the church.
Before entering the church the couple were given a hand-written manuscript of the new piece, called The Weather of My Being, by its composer Professor Paul Mealor.
Professor Mealor has created music for a number of royal events including Prince and Princess of Wales‘s wedding and several of Charles’s birthdays.
He also gave the the Royal couple a volume containing all the music he composed for their coronation in 2023.
The composer said he decided to mark Charles and Camilla’s anniversary by “setting great poetry to music”.
He said this combined the King’s love of music with the Queen’s love of literature.
He went on: “So I wrote it, and then sent it to them, and then they said, ‘why not perform it now, just literally after the wedding anniversary?’
“So we had the premiere today at the service, which was very powerful”.
The new piece was performed by St John’s Festival Choir during the hour-long service.
Asked for their reaction to hearing the performance, Professor Mealor said: “They were beaming, it was very nice, and they thanked me very much at the end.”
The piece is made up of three anniversary songs with each designed to reflect a different aspect of enduring love.
The first song, to a poem by Daniel Hoffman, compares love to the seasons – ever-changing and ever staying the same, while giving a nod to Charles’ love of nature and the environment.
The second is a setting of words from the Bible’s Song of Solomon, and is about the desire for a profound and unwavering love while reflecting Charles and Camilla’s faith.
Inside Charles and Camilla's relationship
CHARLES and Camilla’s relationship began back in 1971 when the pair were introduced by a mutual friend.
Aged 23, they quickly became close friends talking for hours on the phone and spending as much time together as possible.
However, the relationship never progressed amid warnings from Charles’ great-uncle Lord Mountbatten that Camilla was not “sufficiently aristocratic” to marry into the Royal Family.
The then-Prince of Wales tied the knot with Diana in 1981 upon his family’s recommendation – but the People’s Princess called the relationship “tricky” as she knew how much Charles loved Camilla.
She claimed that before her wedding, she found out Charles had a bracelet made with the initials “G” and “F” for Gladys and Fred – pet names Camilla and Charles had for each other.
She also found photos of Camilla in Charles’ diary on their honeymoon, as well as cufflinks with the initials “C” and “C” intertwined.
Five years on from their spectacular wedding, Charles and Diana’s marriage was lost – with Camilla firmly back in the picture.
Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, before her death in 1997.
King Charles II wed Camilla Parker-Bowles on April 9 2005, nearly eight years after his ex-wife and mother to his sons, Princess Diana, tragically died.
The third and final song is a setting of Robert Burns’ famous poem A Red Red Rose.
It reflects Camilla’s love and support of literature and reading, as well as the Royal couple’s love of Scotland, where they celebrated their honeymoon in 2005.
The composer added: “Today is very special because this is the place where they spent their honeymoon, in Birkhall, and so it was lovely, pretty much on the time that they would have been doing that 20 years ago, that we performed this new piece.
“So for me, that was the special thing, and that each of the texts, each of the lyrics, has a real connection to Their Majesties.
“I thought that that was powerful, and then trying to add something new with the music, like any song.
“So it was very special. Then having all my friends sing it was lovely.”
The couple’s actual anniversary on Wednesday fell during their state visit to Italy.
During their tour, they met with the convalescing Pope at the Vatican and enjoyed a state banquet in their honour.
Speaking during a school visit in the middle of the tour, Camilla said her husband “loves his work” and wants to do “more and more and more” as he gets better.
She added of her husband – who is receiving ongoing treatment for cancer: “That’s the problem.”