Braemar is just a few miles along the road from Balmoral Castle, Scottish home of Her Majesty the Queen who is the Royal Patron of the Royal School of Church Music, and it didn't seem right for an RSCM choir to be singing almost on her doorstep without letting her know, so a while back our administrator sent off a letter to Buckingham Palace advising Her Majesty of our visit, and inviting her to the service should she be in the area.
The response, from The Chief Clerk to The Queen, was that The Queen's engagements are planned A LONG time in advance and therefore regrettably she was unable to attend. In the envelope though, in addition to the reply from The Chief Clerk, was a letter from Her Majesty herself, containing congratulations to all involved in the regeneration of St Margaret's Church, and best wishes to the choir!
Her Majesty's letter was reproduced in the Orders of Service today, and a scan is reproduced below.
