ROYAL SCOT
The Queen inspects Balaclava Company, 5 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland at the gates at Balmoral, as she takes up summer residence at the castle. But the event was marred slightly when pony Cruachan IV created a stink.
IT IS a summer house that has been kept in the family for generations, although the magnificent Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire is no-one’s idea of a typical timeshare.
The Queen arrived there yesterday to begin her annual seasonal residence, which, by tradition, extends to September – but one member of the welcoming party from Balaclava Company, 5 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, appeared nonplussed by the prospect. The regimental mascot, Cruachan IV, chose the moment the Queen took the salute from Pony Major Mark Wilkinson to decorate the driveway in its own style.
Unlike Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, Balmoral is not owned by the Crown but is a private, family residence, bought in 1952 by Prince Albert. Its estate includes 3,000 acres of forest where red deer run wild.
It has been reported that the family’s newest member, the Duchess of Sussex, will join the Queen there this year. She and Prince Harry were at Balmoral briefly last September, before their engagement was announced, and Harry and William were there at the time of the death of their mother, Diana.