Charles heads to Balmoral in moving show of gratitude
KING Charles, who was one of only two members of the royal Family to reach Balmoral before his mother died, has made a poignant return to the Scottish retreat.
I can reveal that Balmoral was closed to the public on Sunday so that the King could spend time thanking the soldiers who guarded the late Queen at the castle in Aberdeenshire — and who helped give her a moving sendoff.
‘The King wanted to say thank you in person,’ a courtier tells me. ‘He is very grateful for the effort everyone put in before and after Her Majesty’s death.’
He was driven to Balmoral in his electric Audi straight after divine service at nearby Crathie Kirk.
Unusually, Balmoral’s grounds have been opened to the public for the rest of the year so that tributes can be paid to Queen Elizabeth. They are normally open only from April to July.
The late Queen traditionally inspected a guard of honour from the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, the royal regiment of Scotland, outside the castle gates while the public welcomed her for
her annual stay. However, this year the ceremony happened behind closed doors, in order to maximise Queen Elizabeth’s comfort.
In a further indication that the King is preparing to open up Balmoral all year round, the estate has advertised for visitor service assistants to work ‘for the 2022 season’. It costs around £3 million a year to run Balmoral, and half of this money comes from tourism.
■ GOOD to hear that the King and Queen are still able to have a quiet night out. I hear that Charles and Camilla went for dinner last week at a new Mayfair venue, the Mount St restaurant, opened by their old friend Ewan Venters, former boss of Fortnum & Mason. ‘They were keen to support Ewan,’ one of his friends tells me.