Singing in church for King Charles was magical, says Brandon
Brandon McPhee has said that being invited to sing for King Charles III is an experience he will never forget.
The 27-year-old Caithness entertainer gave a rendition of the hymn How Great Thou Art, accompanied by Manson Grant on piano, as part of the Sunday service at Canisbay Church of Scotland.
Brandon has become accustomed to playing the accordion for His Majesty over the years, but this was the first time he’d had an opportunity to sing for him.
Making the occasion all the more special was that Sunday was the 124th anniversary of the birth of the King’s much-loved grandmother, the late Queen Mother.
His Majesty’s annual stay in the far north has come some six months after the announcement that he was being treated for cancer. He visited Scotland’s newest World Heritage Site at the Flow Country and attended the Mey Highland Games.
The Canisbay service was conducted by the Rev Janet Easton-Berry, the Pentland Parish minister. Afterwards, Brandon presented the King with a personalised gift – an engraved slate depicting Brandon playing the accordion for His Majesty.
Brandon said: “I’ve been performing for the King for 10 years. It’s not always at the Castle of Mey – I’ve been in Dumfries House, I was in Buckingham Palace, and Birkhall as well.
“This is the first year that I’ve been singing. I was asked by the Rev Janet Easton-Berry.
“There was no accordion there. To be singing for the King is a feeling I’ll never forget.
“The church was pretty magical on Sunday because it was also the 124th anniversary of the Queen Mother’s birth.
“To be singing in the church on such a historic day for Caithness, and for the Royal Family, I really felt honoured. It was just such a pleasure to be there.
“Janet is incredible as well. She is very welcoming and she is certainly held in very high esteem by everybody.
“I’m just so delighted that she asked me along to sing. It was lovely, I really enjoyed it.
“There was something special about being in the church on the Queen Mother’s birthday. To have the King there in the church on that date was brilliant.”
Meanwhile, Brandon and his band are in the middle of the busy spell of recording and performing.
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“We’re working on a new CD at the moment and we’re doing a bit of touring,” he said. “We’re over in Orkney on Friday at a concert in the King Street Halls in Kirkwall.
“Then we’re in England next month touring. We’re always working away at something.”
Earlier this year, Brandon was named as Scottish Entertainer of the Year at the Hot Country TV Awards 2024 in Ireland.