Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands is always a magnet for the royals each August as the extended family gather for their annual staycation. But this year’s get-together will be tinged with sadness – not only is it the first year without Queen Elizabeth II hosting, but it’s where she passed away, just 11 months ago, on 8 September.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond tells OK! that although “it will be especially poignant” she believes that it’s “important for the family to be together at the Castle ahead of the first anniversary of the Queen’s death”.
The imminent arrival of the Prince and Princess of Wales and their adventurous children, fresh from their rumoured trip to the Caribbean island of Mustique, will inject some positive energy into the gathering.
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But emotions will be running high – especially for William, who will surely be comforted by the presence of Kate by his side now more than ever.
William has previously said that his visits to Scotland stir up a myriad of feelings. He was at Balmoral when he was told that his mother Diana had died and recalls how “in the dark days of grief that followed I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors. The connection I feel to Scotland will forever run deep.”
Royal expert Robert Jobson tells OK!, “William has happy and sad moments related to Balmoral. But that’s about his life’s experience, not the place.
"The place has always been special to him. Even in his darkest moments, such as when he learned of his mother’s death, Balmoral afforded him the opportunity to grieve privately, to go off on walks with his grandfather to try to come to terms with what had happened.”
The family of five are likely to stay in their three-bedroom cottage Tam-Na-Ghar, which was left to the royal heir by the Queen Mother. While students at the University of St Andrews, William and Kate would sneak off to their bolthole for romantic weekends away.
“Balmoral has always been a sanctuary for them. During the early stages of their relationship they could escape there and be at one with nature away from prying eyes.
"It matters to them. They enjoy being at one with nature, it replenishes them and gives them that outdoor space and time to allow them to truly relax.”
As parents, they’ve delighted in sharing their love for the sprawling 50,000-acre estate with their children. “George, Charlotte and Louis already know how dear Scotland is to both of us and they’re starting to build their own happy memories here too,” says William.
Robert explains, “This is a place where youngsters can play outside so freely. That matters to William and Kate because they know their children can be free, away from the media.”
Adding that the family’s return to Scotland will be very much a celebration of Elizabeth II, he points out, “This year, they’ll be thinking of her and the good times they all shared as they commemorate her life.”
Balmoral’s new hosts, King Charles and Queen Camilla, will also go out of their way to make this visit special for Princes George and Louis, Princess Charlotte and their various cousins.
“Charles and Camilla will want to make it as much fun for all the youngsters as it has been in the past. There’ll be a bit less ‘standing on ceremony’ this year too – things will be more relaxed and informal.”
Balmoral has provided a much-needed escape for the royals for more than a century, and Jennie doesn’t envisage a huge change to the family’s holiday timetable of activities.
“So far, Charles has maintained much of his mother’s routines and traditions. There will probably be the usual rounds of walks, picnics, barbecues in the rain and dinners at the Castle. Lots of outdoor activities, lots of games and family fun.
“George, Charlotte and Louis will relish the chance to spend time with their cousins… they all get on extremely well. And whenever Zara and Mike Tindall are around, the whole atmosphere seems so much more relaxed.
"The kids will have a whale of a time romping around in this huge playground, away from the cameras, and just enjoying being part of a happy extended family.
“The royals generally don’t have that much time to spend together, so these summer stays are hugely valued. And while the kids are all playing, the parents get a well-earned chance to put their feet up.”
The King’s love of Scotland has never faltered and he has chosen to mark some of his life’s biggest moments in the country – including proposing to Queen Camilla at their beloved Birkhall residence. This provided a beautiful family link as Balmoral is also where Prince Philip secretly proposed to Princess Elizabeth in 1946.
Confirmation that Their Majesties will follow in Elizabeth II’s footsteps with a summer stay in Balmoral came when a friend of the couple revealed, “The house was always full of guests coming and going and Charles will continue that tradition. That’s very important to him.”
It will give him the chance to bond with his grandchildren. He loves to read stories to them so perhaps he’ll treat the youngsters to a telling of The Old Man Of Lochnagar – the children’s book he wrote in 1980 which is set in the caves near Balmoral.
“I also think they might have a little celebration in the wood that Charles planted for George when he was born, to mark the 10th birthday of both George and the trees!” says Jennie.
“Charles is passionate about the need to plant more trees and this little wood, called Prince George’s Wood, is a haven for wildlife. I’m sure George will come to cherish “his” wood – and the red squirrels which inhabit it – more and more as he grows older.”
The estate, located in Royal Deeside, has various properties including the Waleses’ Tam-Na-Ghar, Glas-allt Shiel hunting lodge on the banks of Loch Muick and Birkhall. “Charles and Camilla always prefer to stay at Birkhall, which they’ve very much made their own,” says Jennie. “They love it because it belonged to the Queen Mother.”
Elizabeth II used to stay in Scotland from August until October but Jennie doesn’t see that pattern continuing. “Charles has already shown that he wants to continue the tradition of gathering the family together at least once or twice a year.
"But he’s a busy man, and much busier now that he’s monarch. So I don’t think he’ll have the extended summer stay at Balmoral that the Queen enjoyed. He does love it up in Scotland and I think it does his soul good to walk on the moors and have some time away from public duties.”
While George and his siblings will be relishing the freedom on the 50,000-acre estate, they hopefully won’t be dicing with danger like their daredevil father did as a boy! Speaking in the 2016 ITV documentary Our Queen At Ninety, William reminisced about a hairy incident involving his cousins.
“Peter and I were chasing Zara around who was on a go-cart, and we managed to herd Zara into a lamppost and the lamppost came down and nearly squashed her.
"I remember my grandmother being the first person to come running across the lawn in her kilt. She came charging over and gave us the most almighty telling- off. That stuck in my mind from that moment on.”
A high point expected to make a return this year is the Ghillies Ball. Not held at the castle since 2019, it’s an informal celebration where staff let their hair down with the most senior members of the Royal Family.
Another tradition which King Charles might be keen to follow is extending an invitation to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy. Previous incumbents of Number 10 have had mixed feelings about their own visits.
Margaret Thatcher likened her Balmoral trips to “purgatory” and Tony Blair described it as “a vivid combination of the intriguing, the surreal and the utterly freaky”, claiming he only survived the weekend with the help of strong alcoholic drinks!
Elizabeth II always made her deep affection for Scotland clear and, following her death, royal author Katie Nicholl noted, “Balmoral was the one place where she could actually leave her crown at the gates and have a different role. I actually think there’s a bit of her that knew she wasn’t going to come back – she wanted to be in Balmoral and
she wanted to pass there.”
Princess Eugenie has enthused about Balmoral too as “the most beautiful place on earth” adding that it was the place her grandmother was “the most happy… Walks, picnics, dogs – a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs – and people coming in and out all the time. It’s a lovely base.”
Sharing this belief, the Princess Royal has recalled wonderful holidays at the estate, which included “the countryside, the dogs, the horses and just being out and about and being able to get away a bit from that public gaze”.
For a family who live their life in a metaphorical goldfish bowl, Balmoral with all its beauty and the shared memories it holds, must be a slice of paradise in an otherwise high-pressure world.
Robert Jobson is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Our King: Charles III – The Man and The Monarch Revealed
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