queen travel to balmoral

Queen Elizabeth Heads to Balmoral For the First Summer Since Prince Philip's Death

The monarch left Windsor Castle for the Scottish estate Friday.

Queen Elizabeth has begun her first summer holiday since the death of Prince Philip.

The queen headed off to Balmoral in Scotland from Windsor Castle Friday. The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh would typically retreat to the Scottish castle every year from August until the fall. This year marks the first visit since Prince Philip passed away last April at the age of 99.

Balmoral has served as a private retreat for the British royals for over 150 years, since Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, purchased the castle and the surrounding 7,000 acre estate. At Balmoral, the royals normally like to entertain friends, picnic, hold dances and go on shooting parties in the highlands.

Though the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh spent most of last year in Windsor Castle, where they began isolating in March 2020, they were able to continue the tradition of spending the summer in Balmoral last August. The holiday took place with new precautions, with staff forming a "Balmoral bubble" and visitors social distancing during encounters with the queen and Prince Philip.

The Royal Family recently honored the Duke of Edinburgh on what would have been his 100th birthday . The royal family Instagram account shared photos of the queen receiving a special shrub rose that was named in honor of her late husband, gifted to her by the Royal Horticultural Society. Prince William and Duchess Kate shared photos of the queen admiring the roses , which were planted in the East Terrace Garden of Windsor Castle.

Quinci LeGardye is an LA-based freelance writer who covers culture, politics, and mental health through a Black feminist lens. When she isn’t writing or checking Twitter, she’s probably watching the latest K-drama or giving a concert performance in her car.

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A Brief History of Queen Elizabeth’s Beloved Balmoral

By Hadley Hall Meares

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Every summer, Queen Elizabeth II escapes to Balmoral, her beloved 50,000-acre country estate nestled in the Scottish Highlands. This summer, her first without Prince Philip, is no exception. The queen was seen departing for Balmoral on Friday, July 23, perhaps to mourn privately in the cozy castle where their love story reportedly began over 70 years ago.

Since the 19th century, British royals have found solace and serenity among the heathers and soaring peaks of Aberdeenshire. For Queen Victoria, Balmoral was “my dear paradise in the Highlands.” Princess Eugenie has called it “the most beautiful place in the world.” But beyond the soaring rhetoric, Balmoral is simply a place royals can kick back, relax, and muck about. “I am never so happy,” King George V once said , “as when I am fishing the pools of the Dee.”

According to Balmoral: Queen Victoria’s Highland Home by the historian Ronald Clark, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were seduced by Scotland from their first visit in 1842. “All seemed to breathe freedom and peace,” Victoria wrote , “and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils.”

Prince Albert, enamored with the Scottish landscape, which reminded him of his German childhood, began to look for a private vacation home for his growing brood. He got lucky in 1847, when Sir Robert Gordon, who held the lease for Balmoral, choked to death on a fish bone, Clark writes. The artist James Giles was commissioned to do watercolors of the property. Besotted with Giles’s images of the estate’s pocket-sized castle and “wilderness of moss and moorland, interspersed with craggy ridges,” the royal couple took out a lease on the estate in 1848.

They soon discovered the small castle was much too cramped for a royal household. “We played at billiards every evening,” Lady Charlotte Canning recorded that year . “The Queen and the Duchess (her mother) being constantly obliged to get up from their chairs to be out of the way of the cues.”

In 1852 , Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased Balmoral outright, and began to design a new castle with the help of architect William Smith. Peak Victorian confusion, the romanticized Scottish baronial style home (made of granite from nearby quarries) featured a profusion of turrets and French Tudor accents. Inside, the queen indulged in her love of Scottish heraldry and tartan. “The curtains, the furniture, the carpets, the furniture [coverings] are all of different plaids,” Secretary of State Lord Clarendon noted wryly in 1856. “And the thistles are in such abundance that they would rejoice the heart of a donkey if they happened to look like his favourite repast, which they don’t.”

While in residence at Balmoral, the royal family indulged in a myriad of country pursuits far removed from stiff London court life. Victoria, an avid amateur artist, was fond of sketching the landscape. The queen also adored going on well-organized hikes, which she called her “great expeditions.” Always a romantic explorer, she wished she could always “travel about in this way, and see all the wild spots in the Highlands!”

Prince Albert, an obsessive organizer, threw himself into modernizing Balmoral (a mantle later taken up by Prince Philip), a vast estate that included farms, stables, livestock, cottages, and longtime farmers, estate workers, and house servants. Appalled by his tenants’ poor living conditions, he built new, modern stone cottages, opened a library free to all Balmoral residents, and planned a state-of-the-art dairy that was completed after his death. But the generally uptight prince consort also took time off, becoming so obsessed with deer stalking that he occasionally impulsively took a shot from his wife’s carriage.

The relative isolation of Balmoral also made it the perfect place for royal rendezvous and sensitive affairs of state. According to Clark, in 1855 the future German emperor Frederick William of Prussia proposed to Victoria, the princess royal, amid a field of white heather. “The Prince picked a sprig, presented it, and asked whether the Princess would like to live in Germany,” he writes. The princess happily agreed, and they were married in 1858.

The royal family felt safe in Scotland in large part because of its people. Queen Victoria was fascinated by her country neighbors and their traditions, delighting in their bonfires, torch-lit sword dances, and joyful local balls. It was at Balmoral that she met the hard-drinking , plainspoken servant John Brown, whose loyal service to the queen set tongues wagging. “It is a real comfort for he is so devoted to me,” she wrote . “So simple, so intelligent, so unlike an ordinary servant, and so cheerful and attentive.”

After Prince Albert’s untimely death in 1861, the queen’s love of Balmoral—one of Albert’s greatest creations—only increased. The castle’s ornate rooms had been crowded with trophies of animals her husband had shot, and no one was allowed to move a single one. In her Scottish hideaway Victoria slowly began to heal, taking up sketching again and attending the annual Ghillies’ Ball she threw for her servants, and often indulged in a stiff drink. “She drinks her claret strengthened, I should have thought spoiled, with whisky,” Prime Minister William Gladstone observed .

As she aged, Victoria’s yearly sojourns stretched out for months at a time, much to the chagrin of her British government, who felt she was neglecting duties of state. Some ministers and courtiers dreaded their annual trips to Balmoral. The queen “quite accepts the idea of sitting for hours perishing on a pony going at a foot’s pace and coming home frozen,” one lady-in-waiting tutted. “We are to go on a day-long expedition tomorrow from 11 to 8!” Lord Clarendon complained. “In my heart I desire that waterspouts may prevent it.”

With Victoria’s death in 1901, her cosmopolitan son King Edward VII had little interest in rainy, provincial Scotland. However, his son King George V frequently escaped to Balmoral, and instilled in his son, Bertie, a love of rural country life. When Bertie ascended to the throne as King George VI in 1936, he and his close-knit family—including daughters Elizabeth and Margaret—relished their summer Scottish sojourns, the only place they could have “complete freedom,” according to royal nanny Marion Crawford .

For the future Queen Elizabeth and her sister, their annual trip to Balmoral was the highlight of their tightly controlled lives. “They looked forward to it all the year round. It tended to be the chief landmark in their calendar. Things were apt to date from ‘before we went to Scotland’ or ‘when we got back from Scotland,’” Crawford writes in The Little Princesses . When World War II threatened to cancel their trip, a frustrated Margaret demanded, “Who is this Hitler, spoiling everything?”

At Balmoral, the princesses enjoyed the simple pleasures of a country childhood. The family would play charades and sing Scottish ditties. There were pony rides and picnics at small cottages on the property, where the Queen Mother would gamely cut up onions to fry. At tea there were “shrimps, hot sausage, rolls, scones, and those various sorts of griddle cakes known in Scotland as baps and bannocks,” Crawford writes. “At night, after dinner, seven pipers in their kilts and sporrans would walk playing through the hall and the dining room.… Lilibet and Margaret loved this nightly ceremony and were usually waiting to peep over the stairs at the seven stalwart pipers going by.”

When Princess Elizabeth was 12, she was finally allowed to attend the annual Ghillies’ Ball, where she danced Scottish reels. Always sporty, she learned to catch salmon and to hunt deer (or “deer stalk”), getting down and dirty in the country muck. “It was always fun to see a new stalker out for the first time with the Queen,” her cousin Margaret Rhodes recalled, according to Sally Bedell Smith ’s Elizabeth the Queen . “She would be crawling on her stomach with her nose up to the soles of the stalker’s boots, which would be a surprise to the stalker.”

According to Crawford, Princess Margaret felt left out of her sister’s newfound passions. “However, presently Margaret conveniently decided she did not care for sporting women, thought shooting unwomanly, and never meant to do any herself,” Crawford writes. But Margaret was no doubt grateful when Elizabeth taught her to drive on the empty moorland roads at Balmoral.

But there was a frequent guest to Balmoral who was increasingly catching the young Elizabeth’s eye. In 1944, her distant cousin Philip, then an officer in the British army, came to visit the royal family. According to Smith, the rootless Philip wrote to Elizabeth that he had adored “the simple enjoyment of family pleasures and amusements and the feeling that I am welcome to share them.”

Two years later, Philip was again a guest at Balmoral, this time with marriage on his mind. “I suppose I began to think about it seriously…when I got back in ’46 and went to Balmoral. It was probably then that we…began to think about it seriously, and even talk about it,” Philip recalled, according to Ingrid Seward ’s Prince Philip Revealed.

“The young people went out with the guns and picnicked together, but they were very seldom alone. Occasionally he would take her out for a drive, and now and again they would manage to get off into the gardens after tea,” Crawford writes. Despite this lack of privacy, sometime during that summer at Balmoral, Philip managed to propose to Elizabeth and she accepted.

In the summer months leading up to the 1947 wedding, Balmoral provided a haven from relentless media coverage. “There was luxury, sunshine, and gaiety,” wrote one friend , with “picnics on the moors every day; pleasant siestas in a garden ablaze with roses, stocks and antirrhinums; songs and games.”

After their wedding on November 20, Elizabeth and Philip spent part of their honeymoon at Birkhall, a country home on the Balmoral estate (now occupied by Prince Charles and Camilla ). Snowed in, the newly married Elizabeth wrote to her mother about a cozy day with Philip and her corgis:

It’s heaven up here. Philip is reading full length on the sofa, (he had a cold ) Susan is stretched out before the fire, Rummy is fast asleep in his box by the fire, and I am busy writing this in one of the armchairs near the fire (you see how important the fire is!).

With Elizabeth’s accession to the throne in 1952, Balmoral became her growing family’s favorite summer home. For decades, the family has followed a summer-camp type schedule of shooting, picnic, dinners, and nights playing silly games like “Kick the Can.”

The castle’s interior is remarkably unchanged from Victorian times. “There is a certain fascination in keeping the place as Queen Victoria had it,” the queen has said. There has been an equally timeless quality to the family’s activities. Prince Philip taught the children to hunt and fish. “Charles was so inspired that at age twenty he wrote a book for his younger brothers about the mythical ‘Old Man of Lochnagar’ who lived in a cave on the mountain above Balmoral,” Smith writes.

Then there were the Windsors’ famous picnics (Philip even designed a custom trailer specifically for picnics), with Philip cooking sausages and the queen making drop scones on the griddle for the likes of President Eisenhower, according to Smith. The couple would even do their guests’ dishes. “You think I’m joking, but I’m not,” former prime minister Tony Blair told The Guardian . “They put the gloves on and stick their hands in the sink. The queen asks if you’ve finished, she stacks the plates up and goes off to the sink.”

Elizabeth seems to feel freer to show her human side at Balmoral. She reveled in picking up dead grouse after shooting parties, which, according to Smith, she finally stopped at the age of 85. Cherie Blair recalled the queen teaching Blair’s toddler son Leo to throw biscuits to her beloved corgis. According to Smith, she also takes great interest in Balmoral employees and their personal lives. Smith writes:

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.

According to Smith, the queen also enjoys a gin and dubonnet, and is known to serve drinks at Balmoral the strength of “true rocket fuel,” in the words of Tony Blair. In this relaxed atmosphere, her sense of humor is on full display, like the time she perfectly imitated a Scottish minister after he prayed “for the delicious meal we are about to receive, and for the intercourse afterwards, may the Lord make us truly thankful.”

However, much like Victoria’s time, not all visitors to Balmoral understand its appeal. One such begrudging visitor was Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (as portrayed in season four of The Crown ). The business-minded, middle-class Thatcher reportedly considered her required visits to Balmoral “purgatory.” According to Smith, when one visitor asked the queen if Thatcher liked walking in the hills, the queen replied drolly , “The hills? The hills? She walks on the road!”

Another person who thoroughly disliked Balmoral was Princess Diana. She and Charles spent part of their 1981 honeymoon on the estate, where Diana made her hatred of the large freezing house, drizzling weather, and nightly formal dinner abundantly clear. “It was just impossible,” Prince Philip recalled, per Smith. “She didn’t appear for breakfast. At lunch she sat with her headphones on, listening to music, and then she would disappear for a walk or a run.” Diana found the castle gloomy and was annoyed that “the minute you went out of a room there was always somebody switching off a light behind you.”

It was at Balmoral that the royal family, including Prince Harry and Prince William, learned of Princess Diana’s death on August 31, 1997. The queen believed it was best for the boys to stay in the “quiet haven” instead of immediately returning to London.

Although this decision caused massive public outcry, the queen’s decision seems to have been based on her own experience of life in the royal bubble. “You just hibernate,” she has said of her Balmoral sojourns, per Express . “It is rather nice to hibernate when one leads such a movable life. To be able to sleep in the same bed for six weeks, it is a nice change.”

This summer, there is no doubt the 95-year-old queen, grieving her husband, dealing with the fallout of Megxit, and leading the country through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, is in need of an escape from the cameras and courtiers that hound her daily life. “You can go out for miles and never see anybody,” she said once of Balmoral. “There are endless possibilities.”

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Hadley Hall Meares

By Brooke Baldwin

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What the royal family travelling to Balmoral to see the Queen suggests about her condition

• Thursday 8 September 2022 at 6:30pm

Her Majesty The Queen is currently under medical supervision at Balmoral after doctors became concerned for her health, officials at Buckingham Palace said.

All four of her children are travelling to be by her side at Balmoral Castle, along with her grandson, the Duke of Cambridge.

Prince Charles and Camilla were staying nearby at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate, while Prince William travelled up to Scotland to be with the Queen.

ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship described the situation as "very serious."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were scheduled to be doing a charity event in London this evening, are instead travelling to Balmoral Castle.

The Duchess of Cambridge has remained in Windsor, as Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are on their first  full day at their new school, Kensington Palace said .

ITV News' Chris Ship understands that Prince William and Kate completed the school run this morning, before being told that he needed to head to Balmoral to see The Queen.

He added: "If you have got the heir to the throne, if you have got the future king Prince William, if you have the Duke of York Prince Andrew heading to Balmoral to see his mother - if you put all of those things together we have a very serious situation.

"Doing what she did on Tuesday, seeing an outgoing and incoming prime minister was clearly a lot for a 96-year-old woman. And, we now have a situation where she is as Buckingham Palace say 'under medical supervision'."

While the scenery changed for this Royal engagement, it was due to The Queen's health.

Buckingham Palace officials had said the move had been to create some 'certainty' in her Majesty's calendar due to on-going mobility issues.

ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship added: "Balmoral is the place where she goes every summer, and when we say summer it is actually more like August and September and into the first part of October, so there is nothing new about The Queen being at Balmoral - this is where we'd expect to find her.

"The changes of course, very big changes are constitutionally we had a resignation from a prime minister and a leadership election in the Conservative party. And, it is for The Queen to invite her prime minister to form a Government.

"The whole geography had changed from what normally happens at Buckingham Palace to Balmoral castle."

New Prime Minister Liz Truss said: “The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime” adding “my thoughts – and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom – are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he is "deeply worried" by the news from Buckingham Palace and he is hoping for the Queen's recovery.

He tweeted: "Along with the rest of the country, I am deeply worried by the news from Buckingham Palace this afternoon.

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How to visit Balmoral Castle: Transport and tickets for a trip to the royal family’s Scottish home

The king’s scottish residence is opening the doors to private tour groups for the first time in history, article bookmarked.

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Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland , has long played host to the royal family’s annual summer break – visits that over the years have been filled with informal barbecues, picnic lunches and active pursuits on the 50,000-acre estate.

Where Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle have mastered accommodating trails of tourists within their walls, Balmoral has retained an air of privacy since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased the property for £32,000 in 1852.

Now, as part of plans for improved accessibility to the royal residences the Aberdeenshire castle, the late Queen’s favourite residence, will be open to the public for the first time since the castle was completed in 1855.

With the month-long summer trial comes a spotlight on Aberdeen and the Scottish sanctuary beloved by the royals. Here’s how to make travel plans to visit the regal retreat for yourself while the drawbridge is down.

Read more on Scotland travel :

• The best hotels in Aberdeen: Where to stay for business trips and spa breaks
• Best walking holidays in Scotland for long-distance trails
• Best boutique hotels in Edinburgh: Where to stay for romance and charm

How to get tickets

This summer, Balmoral Castle will be open to the public daily from 10am to 5pm on 4 May, with tickets available to book online.

Tickets are booking up fast, but general admission (£17.50 per adult and £9 per child aged over five) are still available.

Internal guided tours  will take place between 1 July and 4 August, and the 40 tickets a day available at a price of £100 for the exclusive 10-person tour groups quickly sold out.

Also fully booked is the  Balmoral Expedition Tour , for groups of up to six people and priced at £350 for a two-hour Land Rover tour of the famed Scottish estate and old Caledonian Pine Forest.

What you can see at the castle 

The grounds, gardens, exhibitions and ballroom are all included in general admission audio tours. Guests will also be able to visit the Mews Gift Shop for bespoke Balmoral merchandise including tweed and whisky.

On tours of the castle interior, experienced guides will take visitors around several royal rooms “used today by their Majesty’s The King and Queen.” The public will now be able to access rooms including the King’s watercolour collection and outfits worn by King Charles, Queen Camilla and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The green drawing room, family dining room, library and pages’ lobby are also highlights of the new ‘behind the scenes’ tour.

Can you have afternoon tea at Balmoral Castle?

Aside from private tours of the royal’s Highland home, interior tour tickets including  afternoon tea  are on offer for £150 or, to savour sandwiches and scones with general admission, a ticket will set you back £60 per person.

Classic, vegetarian, gluten-free and sparkling afternoon teas are all available on the restaurant’s menu.

How to travel to Aberdeenshire

If you don’t fancy a nine-hour drive to Balmoral, the flight time from London to Aberdeen is around 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Direct flights depart from Gatwick, Luton and Heathrow with several airlines including British Airways and  easyJet  and flights from London Luton to Aberdeen with the latter start from just £20.99.

The Caledonian Sleeper departs six nights a week (excluding Saturdays) from 9pm, taking 10 hours to travel between London Euston and Aberdeen.

LNER trains depart daily for Aberdeen from London King’s Cross and take between seven and eight hours to travel the 396 miles from the English capital.

Where to stay

Read more: The best hotels in Aberdeen

Ardoe House Hotel & Spa

This luxury baronial manor , six miles to the southwest of Aberdeen, is a popular choice with those dreaming of Walter Scott’s romantic Scotland. The chateau-like hotel was inspired by Balmoral Castle just down the road, and its 30 acres of gardens and classic whisky bar with a grand fireplace make it fit for a prince.

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Hotel Amenities

Health & wellbeing, the marcliffe.

The Marcliffe may feature originals by Scottish artists and organise salmon-fishing trips, but it’s the family-friendly feel that lingers. The Victorian-era manor house has 32 rooms and seven suites, a spa, a lounge for afternoon tea and a whisky-crammed bar, plus a list of previous guests that covering actual royalty (including King Charles and Princess Anne).

Atholl Hotel

With witch’s-hat turrets, rose windows and glorious edifices, this  34-bed independent outpost  has proximity to the city centre and storied history. There’s an extension, believed to have been used as a private chapel, and a restaurant that focuses on local ingredients, such as black pudding, blade of beef and North Sea haddock. It’s as traditional as a tartan tin of shortbread.

Looking for a Scottish beach retreat? Here’s how to spend a day in Portobello, Edinburgh’s swinging seaside suburb

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Royals rush to Balmoral as Queen’s health deteriorates – as it happened

This live blog has closed. News of the Queen’s death can be found on our new live blog

• 8 Sept 2022 Queen Elizabeth II has died
• 8 Sept 2022 The Queen has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace announces
• 8 Sept 2022 US president Joe Biden sends thoughts to the Queen
• 8 Sept 2022 Car driven by Duke of Cambridge arrives at Balmoral
• 8 Sept 2022 DUP leader pays tribute to Queen, saying her illness would cause an 'outpouring of emotion' across Northern Ireland
• 8 Sept 2022 Prince Harry travelling to Balmoral by himself, reports say
• 8 Sept 2022 Meghan and Harry travelling separately from other royals to Balmoral
• 8 Sept 2022 Duke of Cambridge, Duke of York and Earl and Countess of Wessex touch down in Aberdeen
• 8 Sept 2022 BBC One suspends regular programming
• 8 Sept 2022 The Queen’s health: what we know so far
• 8 Sept 2022 Harry and Meghan will travel to Scotland, joining senior royals
• 8 Sept 2022 The Princess Royal has arrived at Balmoral and other senior royals on their way
• 8 Sept 2022 Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon says thoughts are with the Queen
• 8 Sept 2022 Archbishop of Canterbury said the 'prayers of the nation' are with the Queen
• 8 Sept 2022 Labour leader says he is 'deeply worried' by news of Queen's ill health
• 8 Sept 2022 Prince William on his way to Balmoral as Prince Charles is by Queen's side
• 8 Sept 2022 Prime minister says thoughts of whole country are with the Queen
• 8 Sept 2022 Queen under medical observation at Balmoral

Queen Elizabeth II has died

The queen has died aged 96, buckingham palace announces.

The Queen has died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Speculation over the health of Queen Elizabeth II grew intense Thursday morning in Vancouver after federal cabinet ministers repeatedly delayed a planned press conference.

Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, was slated to announce a package of measures aimed at affordability- dental care for low income families, tax rebates and rental assistance but the event was delayed indefinitely

Journalists covering the event reported seeing cabinet ministers and a senior aide wearing black or dark clothing.

Like other world leaders, Trudeau had previously sent out a tweet of condolence to the ailing monarch.

“My thoughts, and the thoughts of Canadians across the country, are with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at this time. We’re wishing her well, and sending our best to the Royal Family,” he wrote.

Trudeau had planned to be announcing an affordability package (dentalcare, rental, GST rebates) a half hour ago but it’s not clear when or if that’s still happening. A rather tense atmosphere at the cabinet retreat in Vancouver right now, officials scuttling in and out of rooms. — Brian Platt (@btaplatt) September 8, 2022

U.S president Joe Biden told Liz Truss he was “keeping the Queen and her family in their thoughts”, the White House said.

The president and the prime minister were taking part in a video conference about the war in Ukraine.

“President Biden also conveyed to Prime Minister Truss that he was following reports about Queen Elizabeth’s health and that he and the First Lady are keeping the Queen and her family in their thoughts,” a White House statement said.

The fact that the Queen’s children and grandsons, William and Harry, have rushed to Scotland to be at her bedside indicates how serious their concerns are for the health of the 96-year-old monarch.

While she rests and is said to be “comfortable” and under medical supervision at Balmoral, which has long been one of her favourite places, plans have been long in the making for any eventuality. That, naturally, will have included the worst-case scenario.

The logistics of Operation London Bridge , the formal plans drawn up to deal with the death of the head of state, provide for this eventuality.

Code-named Operation Unicorn, the plans in Scotland leaked some time ago indicate that should the Queen pass away at Balmoral, it is likely her coffin will temporarily rest at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, having been taken there by road from Balmoral two days after her death.

Windsor Castle has been the Queen’s main residence since 2011 and attracts a stream of visitors throughout the year.

The Duchess of Cambridge, who recently moved to Windsor with Prince William, has remained in the town while William visits the Queen at Balmoral.

Kate was photographed driving a car out of the castle’s grounds on Thursday afternoon. It is the first day of a new school for Princes George and Louis, aged nine and four respectively, and Princess Charlotte, who is seven years old.

As ITV’s Chris Ship reports, there has been no update on the Queen’s health for about five hours:

This statement on the health of the Queen is now nearly 5 hours old, but it’s the last update we have had from Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/aAVsHB4VyJ — Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) September 8, 2022

More on BBC coverage from Mark Sweney and Jim Waterson:

The BBC has suspended programming on its main channel to move to blanket news coverage as concerns grow about the Queen’s medical condition.

BBC One, the most popular channel in the UK, interrupted Bargain Hunt just after 12.30pm to deliver a statement from Buckingham Palace that said doctors were “concerned” for her health.

The 96-year-old, who broke with tradition to remain at her summer home of Balmoral to greet the new prime minister, Liz Truss, earlier this week, has been suffering from “episodic mobility problems” since last year.

BBC One has switched to a BBC News Special until at least 6pm, when the corporation’s evening news programme airs, which is being led by the presenter Huw Edwards. Edwards is dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and black tie – in line with the corporation’s on-air dress code when a royal family member dies as a mark of respect.

BBC insiders say there is some relief that the news has broken during daytime with the veterans Edwards and Nicholas Witchell, the corporation’s royal correspondent since 1998 , available to lead the coverage.

Yalda Hakim, host of the international news programme Impact on BBC World News, tweeted an apology after posting an announcement had been made that the Queen had died.

Outside Buckingham Palace, the crowd has swelled to several hundred, reports the Press Association, despite driving rain.

Meanwhile, at Balmoral, journalists continue to gather.

More wellwishes coming in for the Queen from around the world …

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the secretary-general, António Guterres’

thoughts are with the Queen, her family and the people of the United Kingdom at this time.

The EU commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said:

My thoughts and prayers are with her. She represents the whole history of the Europe that is our common home with our British friends, she has always given us stability and confidence, she has shown an immense amount of courage, and is a legend in my eyes.

US Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, said:

The Queen is an exemplar of steady leadership and a beloved figure around the world. She has been a historic friend of the United States. The decades of her reign have seen a profound deepening of the special relationship between our two countries that has literally changed the world. The Queen, the royal family, and all our friends in the United Kingdom have our thoughts and our prayers.

Australia’s governor-general, David Hurley, said:

Following news from Buckingham Palace, and on behalf of all Australians, the governor-general and Mrs Hurley’s thoughts and prayers are with Her Majesty the Queen and the royal family at this time.

The Queen’s health has been monitored intensively throughout her reign, but no more so than in recent years as she has aged and experienced periods of being unwell.

The royal household has its own team of medics, who are on call 24 hours a day. They are led by Prof Sir Huw Thomas, head of the medical household and physician to the Queen – a title dating back to 1557.

Thomas has been part of the team of royal physicians for 16 years and became the Queen’s personal physician in 2014.

The role is not full-time and does not have fixed hours or sessions but Thomas is available whenever he is needed.

Thomas received a knighthood in the 2021 new year honours, and was made Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) – a personal gift of the monarch. At the time of the honour, in an interview with Imperial College London, he said it had been a “busy couple of years in this role,” adding that he felt “very grateful to have been recognised for my service to date”.

While BBC One has suspended its regular schedule ( see also 14:59 ), ITV News is broadcasting a special news programme from 5pm. It plans to air continuous news coverage until 7.30pm.

US president Joe Biden sends thoughts to the Queen

The White House has said that Joe Biden has been briefed about the Queen’s deteriorating health and that the US president and first lady, Jill Biden, are sending thoughts to her and her family.

“His and the first lady’s thoughts are solidly and squarely with the queen today and her family,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told Reuters.

People have started laying flowers at the gates of Buckingham Palace. The first bouquet was laid just after 5pm, reports the Press Association.

Car driven by Duke of Cambridge arrives at Balmoral

Outside the gates of Balmoral estate beneath dark clouds, a handful of members of the public huddle under umbrellas in the lashing rain as representatives of national and international media gather in the gloomy late afternoon.

Vehicles carrying the Queen’s sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, have just driven through the gates after a flight from RAF Northolt to Aberdeen airport. The car with the Queen’s sons was driven by Prince William.

BREAKING: Royal #cortege arrives at #Balmoral , after flight from #RAFNortholt pic.twitter.com/tkcrr9EbRi — Severin Carrell (@severincarrell) September 8, 2022

Beneath stormy skies, tourists visiting Windsor Castle on Thursday afternoon said they were shocked and deeply concerned at reports there has been a deterioration in the Queen’s health.

Sharon Carter, a salesperson at M&S, had travelled from Portsmouth with her husband, James, to visit the royal town and castle, and stopped to ask why there was a group of about forty TV journalists standing outside the gates.

Told of the head of state’s condition, she said: “It is so sad and sudden. She looked quite well when she was photographed a few days ago with Liz Truss.

“She is so well respected and has always been there for the country. The thought of her not being there is difficult. It is a sad day for the country and the monarchy,” she said.

Hardeep Bains, a 45 year old IT consultant from Slough, said news of the Queen’s frailty will be of concern for the entire country, even those who do not support the monarchy.

“I was listening to the radio today, and they were saying that no one other than people who are in their 70s can remember there being another monarch other than the Queen. That is incredible.

“Whatever you think of the other royals, she has been solid. I hope she pulls through,” he said.

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Where is Balmoral Castle and how can you visit?

The Scottish Castle is rumoured to be the late Queen's favourite residence

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'Where is Balmoral Castle?' is a popular question among royal fans who want to know more about the place where the late Queen Elizabeth II spent her last few months.

Following the Queen's death on 8 September 2022, many are curious to know more about the Scottish residence that was said to be the Queen's favourite, and the place where she appointed her fifteenth Prime Minister , Liz Truss, just days before her passing. 

This year, Her Majesty first arrived at Balmoral in July and spent her annual summer breaks at the Castle for most of her life. The remote location is a source of intrigue to many, who want to know where is Balmoral Castle and can they visit it?

Where is Balmoral Castle?

Balmoral Castle is in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Castle is situated right next to the River Dee and within the Cairngorms National Park, with the closest city being Aberdeen, just under 50 miles away.

As well as the castle itself, there are an additional 150 other buildings on the Balmoral Estate, including Birkhall - the estate of Prince Charles and where the Queen and Prince Philip spent part of their honeymoon - Craigowan Lodge, and several other cottages.

A post shared by Balmoral Castle & Estate (@balmoral_castle) A photo posted by on

The remote location allowed the late Queen to relax away from royal duties, and she was known to go horseriding, walking and enjoy barbecues and picnics during her time on the estate, as well as watching events at the nearby Braemar Highland Games with other members of the Royal Family.

Princess Eugenie  has previously said of Balmoral: "It's the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands."

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Queen Elizabeth spent much of her late husband Prince Philip's final years at Balmoral with him, and it was where they stayed during lockdown as well as their 73rd wedding anniversary in November 2020.

How did The Queen travel to Balmoral?

The Queen usually travelled by private jet to Balmoral - though she was also known to have flown by helicopter - making the journey from England to the east of Scotland.

The Queen traditionally stayed at Balmoral from August to October every year, and members of the Royal Family were invited to spend time with her during her summer break.

The Queen usually travels from RAF Northolt in west London to Aberdeenshire, and in the past has been pictured boarding the jet with her beloved Corgis .

Who owns Balmoral?

Balmoral Castle was privately owned by the Queen. Of all the royal residences, it is only Balmoral and Sandringham , in Norfolk, that the Queen owned herself - the rest are property of the Crown Estate.

This means that unlike other royal residences such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle , it has not been automatically passed into the ownership of King Charles. However, it is likely that the late Queen will have left the Scottish residence to King Charles in her will. 

Balmoral has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria. According to the Balmoral Castle website , after acquiring the Balmoral Estate Prince Albert decided to build a new Castle as the current one was considered not large enough for the Royal Family. The foundation stone for Balmoral Castle was laid by Queen Victoria on 28th September 1853 and it can be found at the foot of the wall adjacent to the West face of the entrance porch.

When Queen Victoria died in 1901, Balmoral Estate passed on to King Edward VII, and from him to each of his successors.

Inside Balmoral Castle

When royal photographers have been allowed inside the Castle, it's been noted that several of the rooms are decorated with mint green.  

One example is in 2017, when the Queen met with Canadian Governor General Designate Julie Payette. The photographs taken in one of the drawing rooms showed light green carpet and a matching green three-piece furniture set, as well as tall bookshelves and a fireplace with a mirror above.

That same year, General Sir Peter Cosgrove, the Governor-General of Australia and Lady Cosgrove met the Queen at Balmoral Castle, and again pictures showed a mint green carpet with matching furniture and curtains, as well as an armchair covered in a white, green and red fauna fabric and paintings in ornate gold frames.

The same room was photographed when the Queen appointed new PM Liz Truss at Balmoral, and in the final photograph taken of Her Majesty, which shows the Queen smiling in front of a roaring fire.

A post shared by Jane Barlow 📷 (@belperbarlow) A photo posted by on

In 2021, following the death of Prince Philip, the Royal Family released a photograph of The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Balmoral with their grandchildren, taken in 2018. The photo showed them sat on a mint green sofa atop a cream rug, next to a lamp with a turquoise and flowery base.

How big is Balmoral Estate?

Balmoral Estate is 50,000 acres, and Balmoral Castle has an incredible 52 bedrooms and a ballroom.

Can you visit Balmoral Castle?

Yes, you can visit Balmoral Castle, but only at certain times of the year and when the Royal Family aren't in residence.

Following the death of the Queen, the Balmoral Estate is closed until further notice and during the Period of Mourning the main gates will be closed to all traffic.

However, floral tributes can be placed at the main gates to Balmoral and a book of condolences is available to sign on the Royal Household website .

Balmoral guided tours begin at the coffee shop and go via the Game Larder, the original Iron Ballroom and the Ice House. The Ballroom is is the only room open to visitors in the Castle. Following the tour, visitors are free to wander around the grounds and gardens.

Adults tickets cost £16.50, while the price for a child's ticket (5 to 16 years) is £7.50.

You can find out more information at balmoralcastle.com

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Ellie is GoodtoKnow’s Family News Editor and covers all the latest trends in the parenting world - from relationship advice and baby names to wellbeing and self-care ideas for busy mums. Ellie is also an NCTJ-qualified journalist and has a distinction in MA Magazine Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and a first-class degree in Journalism from Cardiff University. Previously, Ellie has worked with BBC Good Food, The Big Issue, and the Nottingham Post, as well as freelancing as an arts and entertainment writer alongside her studies. When she’s not got her nose in a book, you’ll probably find Ellie jogging around her local park, indulging in an insta-worthy restaurant, or watching Netflix’s newest true crime documentary.

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Sarah Ferguson Thanks Queen Elizabeth For Being A 'Dear Friend' On Her Birthday

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

Sarah Ferguson remembered the late Queen Elizabeth on Sunday, on what would have been the royal’s 98th birthday.

“Thank you for all that you have taught us, for being a steadfast leader and dear friend. You are sorely missed,” the Duchess of York said in a post on Instagram. Fergie was off on the monarch’s age by just a year, writing that she would’ve been 97 ― not 98.

The queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in London on April 21, 1926.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) (@sarahferguson15)

Queen Elizabeth “died peacefully” at Balmoral in Scotland on Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne.

Her husband, Prince Philip, preceded her in death. He died on April 9, 2021 , just two months shy of his 100th birthday.

Liz Truss, former prime minister of the U.K., met with the queen in her final days and wrote about the interactions in her new book, “Ten Years to Save the West,” out this week.

Truss said that when she spent time with the queen at Balmoral two days before her death, the monarch had seemingly “grown frailer over the previous year,” but “gave no hint of discomfort.”

“She was as resolute, determined and charming as ever,” Truss said.

As the meeting drew to a close, the monarch uttered her final words to Truss : that she “looked forward to our speaking again next week.”

“I had no idea this meeting would be both our last and her final formal engagement as monarch,” Truss wrote.

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Balmoral's series of unfortunate events: accidents, injuries and royal dog bites

The royals' highland abode, balmoral, has been the site of much strife over the years, with king charles, princess anne, queen camilla and zara tindall injured on the estate.

Balmoral estate  in the Highlands is a special place for the royal family, with many special memories made at their Scottish abode. Princess Eugenie even said it's the place where her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was "the most happy," hence why she chose to spend the last day of her life there.

While the sprawling estate is undeniably breathtaking and the perfect retreat for the royals, it also happens to be the most dangerous of the royal residences, with many injuries, accidents and mishaps happening on the grounds.

While the late Queen died of natural causes in the property , many of her family members have been struck by bad luck while visiting…

Walking woes

During a trip to the estate in 2010, Queen Camilla was taken to hospital in Aberdeen after fracturing her leg while out walking near the estate.

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Camilla, who was 62 at the time, "took a tumble" while on her annual Easter break with King Charles, with the couple's official spokesman explaining the Queen Consort would be in plaster for at least six weeks.

"She was walking in slippery conditions in Scotland, and took a tumble and hurt her leg," he said. "Today, following doctor's advice, Her Royal Highness had an x-ray which showed a twisted fracture of the fibula.

"Consequently, Her Royal Highness is wearing a plaster cast and will be for six weeks. She has been advised not to put weight on her leg. Her Royal Highness has every intention of carrying out all planned engagements."

Camilla became injured again while in Balmoral, in 2022, breaking her toe shortly before her mother-in-law passed away.

LOOK:  20 incredible photos of the royals enjoying their summer holiday at Balmoral  

Taking a tumble

The Queen's lady-in-waiting, The Honourable Mary Morrison, suffered a similar accident in 2018, losing her footing and falling down a flight of stairs in the castle, narrowly missing the late Queen as she tumbled. Mary was taken to hospital in Aberdeen, where it was found she had broken her ankle.

Illness and injury

In 2015 the late Queen's cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, was taken to hospital after with a dislocated hip, sustained while staying at the Balmoral estate in Scotland.

Princess Anne was also treated in hospital in Aberdeen after falling ill at Balmoral in 2016.

DISCOVER:  What Queen Elizabeth II was really like at Balmoral behind closed doors  

Car crashes

The accident-prone royals have had a few near misses while driving on the estate. 2016 saw King Charles’ car involved in a collision with a deer. The monarch was uninjured but shaken by the incident, but the condition of the deer was unknown.

Zara Tindall also had a vehicular misdemeanor during her childhood, according to Prince William, who told Sky News in 2016: "Peter, my cousin and I were on a quad bike in Balmoral and we were chasing Zara around, who was on a go-kart.

"Peter and I managed to herd Zara into a lamppost and the lamppost came down and nearly squashed her.

"That sort of stuck in my mind from that moment on that I really should be a little bit more careful about what I’m doing and try not to kill my cousins."

RELATED:  10 photos that show Princess Kate and Zara Tindall's sweet bond  

Not just a site of strife for humans, dogs have fallen foul of the Balmoral bad luck too. 

In 2010, the late Queen's corgis mauled Princess Beatrice's dog, causing her terrier, who was 11 at the time, to nearly lose an ear after suffering horrific bites. Ouch!

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How Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family Really Travel

From private planes to helicopters, motorbikes, and custom-made cars, here's how the British monarch's family gets from place to place.

Here are the details on how the royals really travel.

Private planes are used, but so are scheduled flights.

Travel arrangements for official visits are determined by the Royal Travel Office, who take into account security, cost, and logistics before coming up with a plan. Sometimes, this involves a charter plane which can enable royals and their entourage to more easily stop off in multiple countries or islands—such as when Prince Charles and Camilla visited Cuba and the Caribbean earlier this year . For that trip, which cost £416,576 (roughly $506,286), they used the U.K. ministerial jet, the Royal Air Force’s VIP Voyager, which is available to royals and British government officials.

For other visits, commercial flights are deemed more appropriate, like when Prince Harry and Meghan traveled first class with Qantas for their tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2018 . During this trip they also used a charter plane, which cost £81,002 (roughly $98,444) to travel to Fiji and Tonga.

Usually the British public pick up the bill for official overseas travel except when the royals are visiting Commonwealth Realms (countries where the Queen is also Head of State), in which case the host country pays.

While off-duty, members of the royal family have been known to use both private planes and budget airlines.

Prince William and Kate, for example, have borrowed the private jet belonging to the Duke of Westminster for family vacations in Europe. When they holiday on the Caribbean island Mustique , they usually travel first class with British Airways to St. Lucia before taking another 30 minute flight to the private island. However, the couple have also been spotted on the budget airline EasyJet while heading on a skiing break.

Harry and Meghan were also seen sitting in economy on a scheduled British Airways flight to Nice in December 2017 en route to ring in the New Year. However, they have also both used private jets, with Harry recently taking one to Google’s Climate Change summit and Meghan returning from her baby shower in New York on one.

They like to take the train, and are not immune to delays

No one covering Prince Harry and Meghan’s trip to Cardiff in January 2018 could forget the stormy look on Harry’s face when he stepped out of the car an hour late thanks to a train delay. The couple had boarded the first class carriage of a regular rail service from London Paddington that morning but found themselves held up when the train was moved to a slower track.

Other regular train journeys have gone more smoothly and the young royals in particular often choose this mode of transport, especially to visit major cities.

The Queen also uses a regular train service every year to start her Christmas break at Sandringham , boarding at London’s King’s Cross and disembarking at Norfolk’s King’s Lynn station. This all appears pretty frugal; however, there is also the small matter of the Royal Train, which is still occasionally used by members of the family.

Costing several thousands of pounds per trip, it is often cited when the royals reveal their annual financial reports as one of the more lavish expenditures. Last year, examples of journeys taken were Prince Charles using it to travel from Euston to Port Talbot at a cost of £20,049 (or roughly $24,370) and the Queen and Meghan’s trip to Cheshire , which came in at £29,714 (or roughly $26,115).

They use of helicopters—sometimes to travel between their houses.

One of the quickest ways royals can get around the U.K. is to travel by helicopter. Between April 2018 and April 2019, 204 journeys were made on royal helicopters which cost a total of £688,845. Regulations permit the royals to use public funds to travel from residence to residence, trips they often make by helicopter. The Queen’s Helicopter Flight currently has two helicopters in operation, which are based at RAF Odiham (a Royal Air Force Station in the English town of Odiham).

While he doesn’t usually fly himself to or on official engagements, Prince William still likes to get behind the controls of a helicopter following his years spent in the Royal Air Force Search and Rescue and later as an air ambulance pilot. He took the opportunity to fly one for the cameras in January 2019 to highlight the work of the London Air Ambulance.

Sometimes, nothing but a car will do, and the royals like to drive themselves .

When it comes to getting around on a day-to-day basis, nothing beats the convenience of four wheels. The royals arrive at almost all their engagements by car (when they do take helicopters or planes, a local diplomatic vehicle is waiting to pick them up). Specifically, the Queen travels in her Bentley State Limousine which was created for her Golden Jubilee in 2002. The car was specially designed to make it possible for well-wishers to more easily see inside and with doors and a higher roof so Her Majesty can more easily get out of the vehicle.

British manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover also enjoy the patronage of the royal family, with members frequently seen in and behind the wheel of its vehicles. Despite the fact they could be driven everywhere if they wanted, the royals enjoy the independence of driving themselves. William drove Kate and all their three newborn children home from hospital and the Duchess of Cambridge has been spotted behind the wheel heading through the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The Queen has also been seen driving herself to church in Windsor many times, as well as driving visitors around the Balmoral estate. Prince Philip was still driving at age 96 until a crash forced him to decide to surrender his license .

Both William and Harry love to ride motorbikes.

The brothers were in their element when they took part in an eight-day 1,000 mile charity bike ride across South Africa in 2008. William also currently owns a 1198S Ducati, but his wife Kate isn't such a fan. In 2015, she admitted, “It always fills me with horror when he goes out on it‎. I'm terrified.”

Fortunately for her, the prince revealed in November 2017 that he has put biking on the back burner since having his children.

Finally, there’s the mode of transport they don’t use any more: the royal yacht .

Once upon a time, the royals took to the seas for official visits on the Royal Yacht Britannia. However, that all stopped when the vessel was decommissioned in 1997—a date often cited as one of the only times the Queen has shed a tear in public.

Over the course of 40 years, Britannia traveled more than one million nautical miles to 600+ ports in 135 countries. Now, it is moored in Edinburgh as a popular tourist attraction. Some British politicians have suggested bringing back a royal yacht but this has yet to catch on.

Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures , released in 2021. 

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Statue of Queen Elizabeth is Complete With Corgis

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Queen Elizabeth Statue Unveiled on What Would Have Been Her 98th Birthday — with a Corgi Gathering!

The new statue is said to be the first permanent memorial to the late Queen

Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment.

Queen Elizabeth ’s second posthumous birthday was celebrated in a major way in the smallest county in England.

On April 21, what would have been the late Queen’s 98th birthday, a seven-foot bronze statue depicting the monarch as a young woman with a corgi at her feet was unveiled outside the local library in Oakham in Rutland, England's smallest county. The Rutland City Council said the effigy is "England's first permanent memorial to Her Late Majesty," who died in September 2022 at age 96.

The statue by Hywel Brân Pratley imagined a young Queen Elizabeth standing in ceremonial robes with the George IV Diadem on her head, the Order of the Garter sash across her gown and one of her beloved corgis playing at her feet. The sculptor gave a peek at his creation last year and added two more corgis to the base of the statue for the final product.

The larger-than-life sculpture was commissioned by Dr. Sarah Furness, the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, following the death of the Queen in September 2022. About $155,000 was fundraised to make the project possible, and Furness spoke about the significance of the posthumous statue at the unveiling ceremony.

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"We are witnessing a piece of history today with the first statue of Queen Elizabeth to be commissioned since her death and who gave us 70 years of exemplary service," said the lord-lieutenant, according to The Telegraph .

"Rutland may be a small county, but the response to this had been huge with contributions from local businesses and individuals of varying sizes," she continued.

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The grand reveal was attended by hundreds of people as well as corgis from the Welsh Corgi League, some festively dressed in patriotic bandanas.

Corgis became synonymous with Queen Elizabeth during her record 70-year reign, starting with Susan, the pet she received as an 18th birthday gift. Susan went on to become the furry matriarch of 14 generations of dogs owned by Queen Elizabeth, and the monarch owned over 30 corgis and "dorgis" (daschund-corgi mixes) throughout her lifetime.

Caroline Perry, author of  The Corgi and the Queen , previously told PEOPLE the oftentimes rambunctious dogs were an expression of the Queen's own personality.

"She couldn't choose her life, but she could choose her companions," Perry said . "The fact that these corgis are so spirited, so lively and so mischievous, I think in some way that was her way of expressing how she felt inside but wasn't able to convey. She was so prim and proper and never put a foot wrong, did she? Yet these naughty dogs are doing all kinds of things that maybe she wished she could do."

Hywel Pratley Sculpture/Instagram

Sarah Ferguson adopted the Queen’s final two corgis, Sandy and Muick, following her death and previously told PEOPLE about taking care of them.

"They are national icons, so every time they run chasing a squirrel, I panic," the Duchess of York said. "But they're total joys, and I always think that when they bark at nothing, and there's no squirrels in sight, I believe it's because the Queen is passing by."

Pratley said that he incorporated the dogs into the statue inspired by the royal in the 1950s and 1960s to "tap into the late Queen’s humanity and address her friendliness."

"I very quickly thought that I would like to have a corgi nestling in her robes by her feet because what a great symbol it is, artistically, of her being mother of a nation," he told The Telegraph .

The sculptor said he completed the creation with a plinth to sit on and said he could see it "becoming popular with the Instagram generation."

"It will make a perfect backdrop for pictures and people will be able to reach up and pat a dog or if small enough even sit in its back," said Pratley, who posted photos of the crowd and the corgis on his Instagram Stories.

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The new statue was unveiled by Alicia Kearns, the Tory Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton, who said that King Charles would visit the statue. The King, 75, has postponed public-facing duties while receiving cancer treatment , a diagnosis that Buckingham Palace announced on Feb. 5.

On April 21, what would have been his late mother’s birthday, the King was spotted driving to church with Queen Camilla near Balmoral Castle in Scotland.  

Though the royal couple did not issue a public tribute to the late Queen like they did on her first posthumous birthday in 2023, former royal butler Grant Harrold said he thought that the royals would privately mark the moment this year with reflections, tributes and toasts in her honor. 

"Privately, I have no doubt they'll raise a toast to her in the evening. I'm sure the day will very much be spent reflecting on the late Queen," Harrold told Slingo .

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