Queen's moving last days at Balmoral as Charles starts first stay since death
The Royal Famlily's annual Balmoral holiday has officially started - but with one major difference.
For the first time, it was King Charles inspecting the troops as they form a Guard of Honour outside the castle gates as part of a welcome ceremony. For the past 70 years, the Queen had been the one to attend the annual event at her beloved Scottish Highlands home.
Last year, the ceremony was held in private amid the monarch's failing health. It was at Balmoral that she lived out her final days before her death on September 8 at the age of 96. This year, the royals are making their annual trip to the estate as they carry on the late Queen's summer tradition.
The Queen in the Balmoral Drawing Room, just days before her death last year (Getty Images)But no doubt, it will be a bittersweet break for the Firm, with many of them having fond memories of the late Queen at her beloved home - and here we take a look back at how she lived out her poignant last days there...
Beloved home
Despite her ill-health, the late Queen wanted to spend her last summer as usual at Balmoral, which is located in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire. When she boarded a private helicopter in late July 2022, she had been expected to spend some time away from royal duties before returning to England in early October.
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At first, she resided in the comfortable seven-bedroom Craigowan Lodge before moving to Balmoral Castle, just a mile away, on August 9, where she stayed until the very end. It was familiar surroundings for her as she was joined by a handful of committed staff, including Page of the Backstairs Paul Whybrew and her Serjeant-at-Arms Barry Mitford.
The late Queen and Prince Philip celebrating their silver wedding anniversary at Balmoral (PA)The two men were said to have brought her the Racing Post each morning and accompanied her in watching television. And, of course, she was also joined by her right-hand woman Angela Kelly, her personal assistant and dresser, was also there to ensure she was comfortable and didn't overexert herself.
However, the early part of her final holiday was tinged with sadness after her beloved dog Candy, a dachshund-corgi cross breed known as a dorgi, died at the age of 18.
Her frail state meant she was unable to attend the annual Braemar Gathering, but she had plenty of family and other visitors as she rested at home. And according to the Daily Mail, she took much pleasure from watching TV weather forecasts, especially those presented by the BBC's Tomasz Schafernaker.
Meanwhile, one visitor she received was the Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields - Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly - who joined the late Queen, King Charles and Princess Anne for dinner and lunch.
The clergyman, who had stayed with the Queen following a sermon at Braemar and Crathie Parish Church, said she was 'full of fun' and 'the life and soul of things' before her passing. Describing Her Majesty in the days leading up to her death, he told The Times: "It was a fantastic visit. Her memory was absolutely amazing and she was really full of fun."
The Queen and Charles planting trees at Balmoral in autumn 2021 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)He also told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that she was in 'great form'. "She was in really good spirits - obviously frail, you can see that, but absolutely on the ball," Dr Greenshields added. "She was talking about her past, her love for Balmoral, her father, her mother, Prince Philip, horses, very much very engaged with what was happening in the church and what was happening in the nation too.
"This frail lady came in but there was still that sense of who she was and that real sense of making you feel immediately at ease, engaging with you immediately in conversation, a nice bright smile, everything you would expect of your monarch."
With Balmoral being one of the Queen's favourite places, he thinks she would have been happy to spend her final days there and recalled a poignant moment. He said: "In conversation with her she took me over to the window and she was looking over her gardens with great pride and affection and I think that that's where she would have wanted to spend her last days and I would think the family are comforted by that."
Final duty
However, duty did call for the late Queen, just two days before her death, when she hosted a historic audience with the then new Prime Minister Liz Truss in the informal surroundings of her Balmoral living room.
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While the Queen was said to have ongoing mobility issues, she looked bright yet frail as she used a walking stick to greet Ms Truss, who only last 44 days in the job. Photographs showed the pair in the green drawing room for the Monarch's tradition of 'kissing the hands' to welcome the 15th leader of her reign. The pair chatted for around 30 minutes before the Queen was visited by the outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who tendered his resignation.
The Queen's last duty was to hold a historic audience with then Prime Minister Liz Truss (Jane Barlow/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Jane Barlow, a Press Association photographer, was sent to Balmoral to capture the moment between the late Queen and the new Prime Minister. She described the beloved monarch as looking 'frail' but in 'good spirits'. While shooting the poignant images, Barlow described enjoying classic British conversation with the Queen, as there was small talk about the weather thanks to there being gloomy skies and heavy rain throughout the day.
Precious family time
But of course, what would have been most important to the late Queen was spending time with her family at Balmoral. Each summer, members of the family were invited to Scotland to spend time with the Queen, taking in the fresh air across the 50,000-acre estate with country walks with the corgis, horse riding, and fishing, among other activities.
It's a place where the royals can act like a normal family, with picnics and barbecues. The royals usually attend a Sunday church service at Crathie Kirk, located on the estate.
In her final days, a stream of relatives spent time with her, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. And earlier this year, a beautiful photo of the late Queen surrounded by some of grandchildren and great-grandchildren was released to mark what would have been her 97th birthday in April.
A previously never-before-seen picture of the late Queen with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at Balmoral (PA)The snap, taken by Kate last summer at Balmoral, shows the former monarch on a sofa with the young royals all smiles next to their beloved 'Gan Gan'. On the sofa next to her is her oldest great-grandchild Savannah Phillips, the eldest daughter of Peter Phillips, as well as Mia Tindall, who cradles her baby brother Lucas.
Behind them stands Lena Tindall, the middle child of Zara and Mike Tindall, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Isla Phillips and Prince Louis. Standing tall at the back are the Queen's youngest grandchildren Lady Louise Windsor and James, the new Earl of Wessex - the son and daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
It is believed that over the next few weeks, King Charles will host his extended family in the exact same way in the Scottish Highlands, with those likely to attend including William, Kate and their three children.
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