King Charles Attends Church Prayers on Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's Death

King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral, for a Sunday church service, Sunday Sept. 8, 2024. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral, for a Sunday church service, Sunday Sept. 8, 2024. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)
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King Charles Attends Church Prayers on Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's Death

King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral, for a Sunday church service, Sunday Sept. 8, 2024. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral, for a Sunday church service, Sunday Sept. 8, 2024. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)

King Charles III attended church near the royal Balmoral estate in Scotland for prayers and reflection in remembrance of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday, the second anniversary of her death.

Charles, 75, and his wife Camilla have been spending the summer in the Scottish Highlands, where the late monarch died at 96 years old on September 8, 2022.

Charles and Camilla were seen arriving for the Sunday morning service at the tiny granite church of Crathie Kirk, the royal family's place of worship when they stay in nearby Balmoral Castle. Charles' great-great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, laid the foundation stone for the church, and Elizabeth was a regular attendee, The AP reported.

Charles ascended the throne two years ago Sunday when his mother died in her Platinum Jubilee year after reigning for a record seven decades.

His second year as sovereign was marked by two significant health blows — both Charles and his daughter-in-law Kate, the Princess of Wales, announced they were diagnosed with unspecified types of cancer earlier this year.

The monarch has gradually returned to public duties, undertaking dozens of visits, meetings and events. On Saturday Charles, dressed in a tartan kilt, and Camilla were seen laughing and in good spirits as they visited the Braemar Gathering Highland Games, an annual event featuring bagpiping, Highland dancing and traditional games including tug-of-war.



Coffee Lovers Find Grounds for Complaint at Australian Open

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
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Coffee Lovers Find Grounds for Complaint at Australian Open

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)

Melbourne prides itself on serving up the world's best coffee, but finding a hot brew at the Australian Open has proved a challenge for some of the tens of thousands of fans attending this year's Grand Slam tennis tournament.

Organizers have worked hard over the last decade to improve options for refreshment and an array of outlets at the Melbourne Park precinct.

Yet long queues face fans looking to indulge their passion for the city's favorite beverage at the 15 coffee stores Tennis Australia says dot the 40-hectare (99-acre) site.

"We need more coffee places open," said Katherine Wright, who has been coming to the tournament for the five years as she lined up for a hot drink near the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.

"We are big coffee drinkers, especially Melburnians."

The Australian Open attracts more than 90,000 fans a day early on in the tournament, when ground passes are relatively cheap, offering the chance to watch main draw action on the outer courts.

Liz, another Melburnian, said she stood in line for half an hour for a cup of coffee on Sunday, when rain halted play for six hours on the outer courts.

"This is a well-established global event," she added. "You actually need to be providing better service to the consumer."

Melbourne imports about 30 tons of coffee beans a day, the Australian Science Education Research Association says, representing a surge of nearly eightfold over the past decade that is sufficient to brew 3 million cups of coffee.

For Malgorzata Halaba, a fan who came from Poland on Sunday for her second Australian Open, finding one of those 3 million cups was a must.

"It seems it took me a day and a half, and several kilometers of walking around the grounds, to find coffee," she said. "And jet-lagged as I am, coffee is a lifesaver."