Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral: How the late Queen enjoyed her time at her favourite retreat

The late Queen Elizabeth II might have had access to several luxury properties, but one had a soft spot in her heart.

Balmoral Castle, which is not part of the Crown estate, meaning it's privately funded by the Royal Family. first became part of their holdings in 1852, when Prince Albert bought it as a gift for Queen Victoria.

Victoria might have been Queen Elizabeth II's great-great-grandmother, but the two shared similar tastes it seemed.

Balmoral was thought to be one of Her Majesty's favourite places - and this is what she got up to during her Scottish summers and escapes.

How the late Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed her time at her favourite retreat, Balmoral

Spending time with her whole family

The late Queen Elizabeth II had spent her summers at Balmoral since she was a child, with the Aberdeenshire retreat widely understood to be where she was at her happiest.

For her, it was important to keep up the family tradition of heading to the Scottish estate, something the royals had been doing for over 100 years.

This is why she would invite her family throughout the season, from children to grandchildren and later her great-grandchildren, Balmoral was all about family.

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Hitting her stride on a long walk

Balmoral was really a place to enjoy the simple things - and the Queen would make the most of the sort of freedom she wouldn't get in central London, getting out and about in the 50,000 acre estate.

Taking long walks has become something of a royal tradition - and it's not unheard of for fellow ramblers to come across King Charles taking a solo stride.

Playing pranks on tourists

Famed for her dry sense of humour and surprising lack of pretence, Queen Elizabeth II was never more at ease than during her stays at Balmoral.

And one famous anecdote sums it up best.

While enjoying a stroll around the estate, American tourists reportedly asked her if they'd ever seen the Queen, not realising this dressed-down, relaxed woman was, indeed, the longest-serving monarch in British history.

Rather than being offended that she wasn't recognised, her widely quoted reply involved her pointing to a nearby guard and saying, "No, but he has."

Horseback riding

The Queen's first pony was given to her by her grandfather King George V. It was a Shetland called Peggy, and it marked a lifelong love of the noble animal.

So it comes as no surprise that, for most of her summers at Balmoral, Her Majesty made the most of the open plains and Scottish landscape, riding her horses solo or going on trots with family members like Princess Anne or King Charles.

Throwing the Ghillies Ball

One massive celebration that the Queen would oversee each year at Balmoral was the Ghillies Ball, something which viewers of Netflix's The Crown may recall featuring in the show.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert started the tradition, when they would hold a summer party for their staff, which was known in Gaelic as ghillies.

The event is a heartfelt thank you to the castle and estate staff, and local community.

Fishing

The Royal Family have had a long-standing tradition when it comes to angling - and, perhaps seen as more of a male hobby, the women have always been experts at it.

The Queen Mother was reportedly a proficient angler, and Queen Elizabeth inherited the skill.

Alongside her family, they'd enjoy fishing at Balmoral, and the Queen would also highlight her passion for angling during visits to the likes of Kenya and Canada.

Making the most of the working estate

Being a working estate - and with similar estates nearby - plenty of typical country activities were on the schedule all summer.

Since she was young, Queen Elizabeth would take part in activities like deer stalking, forestry, farming and grouse shooting.

The only major change facing the royals is that hunting has been banned since 2023.

A new neighbour took over the nearby Abergeldie Estate, putting an end to their hunting on the grounds after over 100 years.

Soaking up the Scottish air

Making the most of being away from Buckingham Palace, landlocked in the centre of London, Queen Elizabeth would make sure to soak up all the fresh, Scottish air. And she'd make sure of it, come rain or shine.

Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler, revealed to The Express that Her Majesty would get as much air as she could - even going as far as not closing the windows. He said, "[Queen Elizabeth] loved the fact that her bedroom windows were open every night and she would get the fresh air from the highlands every night. From August until early October, she never closed her bedroom windows."

Walking the dogs

The Queen's Corgis were a major part of her 70-year reign - and her beloved canine companions enjoyed summers at Balmoral just as much as Her Majesty herself.

Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, recalled in the documentary Our Queen At 90 that her memories of Balmoral involved "dogs - a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs."

Picnics

Keeping things simple and relatable, the Royal Family eschewed elaborate spreads and luxury lunches and favoured a classic picnic throughout their Balmoral summers.

It is thought that Glen Muick was one of her favourite spots to picnic, by the beautiful freshwater Loch Muick, and she made memories with her great-grandchildren there a year before her death, per Hello.

Satisfying her need for speed

If she wasn't enjoying a brisk walk or a thrilling horse ride, one might have spotted the late Queen moving around at a much faster pace.

She was known to put pedal to metal, showing off her skills behind the wheel (she was a mechanic during the war, after all).

A popular story about the Queen's fast-paced driving around Balmoral involves a Saudi Crown Prince. As told in the 2012 memoir of British diplomat Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, the Queen may have subtly made her displeasure at women being banned from driving in Saudi Arabia known, reportedly taking the Crown Prince for a drive and scaring him with her fast turns and speeds.

Golfing

With a massive 50,000 acres and over one hundred buildings, the Balmoral estate was vast - as were the options of how to wile away the hours.

Up until 2017, the Royal Family had access to a completely private golf course. Created in 1925 exclusively for the royals and estate workers, the course was opened to the public in 2017.

Reading

The late Queen was thought to be an avid reader. She was a patron of several organisations that promote literacy, including the National Literacy Trust, Book Trust, and First Story.

It wasn’t all play

While the summers at Balmoral emphasised family time and relaxation, a monarch's job is never truly done.

Her Majesty was known to occasionally carry on duties, including welcoming diplomatic visitors and meeting with politicians like former Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Margaret Thatcher.

A touch of tradition

Sure, Her Majesty was thought to be more relaxed while enjoying time in Balmoral, but that didn't mean all tradition and ceremony went out of the window.

An inspection of a guard of honour from the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, would be one of the first things carried out when the Queen arrived for her stay.

Sweet sleepovers

Sharing the bittersweet feeling of knowing the summer was coming to a close in the last week of August, the Queen would reportedly send her grandchildren (and later great-grandchildren) back to school with happy memories.

There would be a big sleepover, a final chance for the family to connect before returning to normal life for another year.

Connecting to the other side of her roots

While most of Queen Elizabeth's life was tied to her royal roots, her mother was part Scottish, having enjoyed a childhood at Glamis Castle.

It is, perhaps, because of this connection to her mother and heritage that she was so happy at Balmoral.

Indeed, Princess Eugenie said in the documentary Our Queen at 90 that it was where she was "most happy” and that she “really, really loves the Highlands."

Keeping up with the news (and her favourite type of news)

Leisurely mornings are the key to a relaxing day, and the late Queen would certainly have enjoyed an ideal start to her days.

The Queen loved her horses. Not just her own, but keeping up to date with the ins and outs of horse racing. Even during her final days, spent at Balmoral, The Sun reported she’d enjoy pouring over a copy of the Racing Post each morning.

Enjoying a takeaway

The Royal Family really are just like any other family - when they're together and relaxing, they love nothing more than indulging in a favourite takeaway!

Per The Mirror, the late Queen Elizabeth would always tuck into a traditional fish and chips from the nearby village of Ballater whenever she was in Balmoral.

BBQs and alfresco fun

In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry revealed more about intimate family moments at Balmoral, and how his grandparents loved serving up a feast.

He describes how Prince Philip would be busy "tending to the grill…stood amid a thick cloud of smoke."

Meanwhile, the Queen would pitch in helping to prep the food and had a speciality in salads, according to the Duke of Sussex.

Doing chores

Okay, for most of us, a holiday would be getting away from chores. But for the late Queen, there might have been something refreshing about enjoying the simpler life and taking control of some domesticities.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once recounted how she was shocked to see the late monarch standing at the kitchen sink washing the dishes - and this inspired her to send the Queen a pair of washing up gloves as a gift.

Watching favourite films and TV

Like any family, the Royal Family would often come together to catch a good film or a TV show.

Many reports suggest Her Majesty had some favourites too. It was rumoured that she loved the BBC quiz show Pointless.

She would stay prepared

When she - or, let's be honest, the palace staff - were packing for the royal sojourn to Balmoral each summer, there would be something packed that most, if not all, of us wouldn't think to take on holiday - a sword.

The late Queen was said to always bring her knighting sword to Balmoral.

Maybe she got some practice in on a quiet afternoon.

She enjoyed an unusual wake up call

One tradition established by Queen Victoria that the late Queen Elizabeth reportedly used to enjoy each morning during her Balmoral stays was having a bagpiper play for 15 minutes under her window at 9am every morning.

Bonding with the neighbours

The late Queen Elizabeth II was so relaxed and at ease in Scotland that she felt comfortable being out and about and bonding with the residents of the nearby town, Ballater.

It carries on the traditions from her childhood, when she and her sister, Princess Margaret, would be taken to local village fetes and similar.

Indeed, when she passed away, people from the community of Ballater referred to her as “a neighbour, more than just the Queen.”

A holiday from their holiday

We all know that feeling - sometimes having the whole family around and filling your days can actually tire you out more.

Giving themselves some proper alone time, the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip would usually spend the first week of their Balmoral holidays away from the main estate.

They'd haul up at Craigowan Lodge, a cosier, seven-bedroom guesthouse about a mile from the castle.

Sunday Service

When you're the head of the Church of England, going to church isn't really negotiable. Even if you're on holiday.

It was likely that most Sundays at Balmoral, the royals would attend a Sunday Service at Crathie Kirk, a local parish church on the estate.

Getting to know the staff

Sally Bedell Smith’s book, Elizabeth the Queen, captures a snapshot of a relaxed and friendly monarch who spent her Balmoral summers getting to know the staff.

One story in the book has it that, while driving a Scottish cleric on a tour of the estate, she suddenly shouted “Hooray!” as they passed one of her gamekeepers walking on the hills with a young woman.

The Queen explained that his wife had left him, and she was delighted that he was out with a new girlfriend.

Staying outdoors as much as possible

the While at Balmoral, whatever the royals do, they try to make it as outdoorsy as possible.

With Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace surrounded by city, they no doubt feel freer to explore the great outdoors.

Indeed, per The Telegraph, Lord Lichfield, a former photographer for the family, said "Lunch is always outdoors and they are outside every day going on expeditions."

Sometimes, they tested people

Not everything at Balmoral was carefree and relaxed.

As popularised in Netflix's The Crown, Balmoral is where newcomers to the family would be invited and put to the test. If you wanted 'in', you had to endure some light royal hazing.

Long reported on with plenty of rumours and misinformation, the Balmoral Test isn't anything official - or as mean-spirited as it seems. It was more of a grilling to see if someone could cut it as part of 'The Firm.'

Parlour games

Historian Robert Lacey, per the Daily Mail, revealed more insight into how the family liked to relax together at Balmoral.

And, like any family, they would try their hand at some games.

According to Lacey, some of Her Majesty's favourites included a game where one had to mime words and phrases.

Another involved writing down a celebrity name on a sticky note and handing it to a family member. Without looking, they had to work out who they had on their sticky note with the help of their team.

According to Robert's book, the Queen one year chose Prince Andrew to be Geri Halliwell. Was Her Majesty a fan of the girl power?

Attending the Braemar Gathering

Each year, the Royal Family loved to attend the Highland Games.

The Queen (and now King Charles) acted as Chieftain of the games, and the Scottish event always amused the family.

From the annual tug-of-war challenges to sack races and log throwing, some of the happiest pictures of the royals laughing and smiling are taken at the games.