Barbecues banned at bone-dry Balmoral

PRINCE Philip’ s famous barbecues could become the latest victims of the heatwave.

Balmoral, to where he and the Queen will retreat later this month, has banned barbies because of the dangers of fires.

As blazes have been raging for more than a week on the Lancashire moors, the Queen’s private Scottish estate has issued a stark warning to visitors.

‘We have an extremely high fire risk at the moment,’ it said in a notice on its Facebook page.

‘Please no barbecues or campfires on the estate. Dispose of cigarettes responsibly,’

Balmoral is open to the public from March until the end of this month, when the Queen and Prince Philip arrive.

Visitors are charged up to £11.50 to enter the 50,000-acre estate on Royal Deeside, which was bought in 1852 by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria.

A working estate, Balmoral includes grouse moors and forestry, which could be vulnerable to fires. No doubt, the Duke of Edinburgh will hope that some rain has fallen before he and the Queen arrive, so the ban could be lifted.

Even at the age of 97, Prince Philip still enjoys doing the cooking with the Queen, 92, when guests come to stay and he has even designed his own barbecue.

According to Balmoral’s doughty housekeeper Sheena Stuart, Her Majesty helps to host their informal gatherings by laying the table and preparing the salad.

‘The Duke, he cooks, the Queen sets up the table,’ Miss Stuart said during a three-part series of BBC1’s Countryfile, which was broadcast earlier this year.

‘There are no staff that come out to serve.’

Tony Blair — whose youngest son, Leo, was conceived during one visit to Balmoral with his wife, Cherie — described in his memoirs how the Royals washed up after one barbecue.

‘They put the gloves on and stick their hands in the sink,’ the former prime minister wrote.

‘The Queen asks if you’ve finished, she stacks the plates up and goes off to the sink.’