Songs of Praise gets Royal seal of approval… with a TV special at Crathie Kirk

It is the place of worship for members of the Royal Family during their visits to Balmoral.

Now Crathie Kirk is to feature on an episode of the BBC’s Songs of Praise, whose high-profile presenters include opera singer Katherine Jenkins and Aled Jones.

Worshippers are being invited to take part in a special recording at the Aberdeenshire church on May 31, when hymns and songs will be conducted by the composer Paul Mealor.

Show presenter Katherine Jenkins

The Aberdeen University professor has composed music for various national and Royal occasions including the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011 and the King’s Coronation last year.

His work also featured in national services of thanksgiving for the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

The King and Queen leaving Crathie Kirk last year

The late monarch, a regular at Crathie during her summers at Balmoral, praised the programme on its 60th anniversary for showing ‘Christianity as a living faith’.

Thought to be the world’s longest running religious TV programme, it first aired in 1961 from the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cardiff. Since then it has been filmed in churches and cathedrals across the UK.

The programme was a regular feature in Sunday evening schedules before being switched to early afternoons in 2021.

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