King Charles has been spending time at his ‘royal playground’ in recent weeks, where he loves ‘mixing with locals’. The king was spotted receiving a formal greeting and inspected troops from Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland as he arrived at Balmoral Castle in Scotland earlier this month.
The visit comes in keeping with tradition – the late Queen Elizabeth II spent her summers at the Aberdeenshire residence and passed away there on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. Now, a source close to the Firm has revealed this year’s visit will be particularly “poignant” as the family prepare to mark two years since her death.
However, speaking on behalf of Slingo, former butler Paul Burrell said time at the castle is still “play time” for Charles. He said: “He loves Scotland because for him, it’s play time. It’s the royal playground.
Queen Elizabeth II pictured with Prince Philip and their sons Prince Edward (second from left), Prince Charles (second from right) and Prince Andrew at Balmoral ( Image: Getty Images)
Burrell also said the Queen took a different approach to the royal residence, as she wanted to keep it hidden from public view. “But now it’s open to the public. Her last bastion has gone, and now every royal residence really is open to the public.
“The Queen resisted and resisted all her life and said, no, it’s the only corner I have left. That’s mine. But now that’s gone.”
Balmoral held a special place in the late Queen’s heart (file) ( Image:
Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Balmoral’s gardens and castle grounds were first opened to the public in 1931, and can be visited between April and the end of July – when Royal Family members take up residence for the summer. Until April of this year, the only room the public were able to view was the ballroom.
This year – for the first time – a month-long summer tour programme was announced, allowing citizens to view more of the castle interior including several rooms used by today’s royals. Small groups were able to view two dining rooms, the flawing room, the page’s lobby and the Red Corridor, as shown in a YouTube video posted by the Royal Family’s official account.
“Inside the castle, there will be no ropes tethering off rooms, as it still remains a functioning royal home,” the video said. The tours ran from July 1 until August 4, giving plenty of time before Charles and other members of the Firm returned for what has been described as a “poignant” visit.
“This year at Balmoral [is particularly poignant], because it’s two years into being king, two years since his mother died, Balmoral is a very poignant place, because time stands still and our dear Queen casts a long shadow over everything and especially for the family, and especially Balmoral because she was a larger-than-life presence that filled Balmoral castle,” Burrell continued. “I bet they see her around every corner.”
