Yesterday, the Queen arrived at Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands for her annual late summer sojourn. As always, she will stay there until she returns to London in October. So far, the Duke of Edinburgh remains at Sandringham, which is where he’s spent most of his time since retiring last year. Presumably, he will join his wife in Scotland at some point, but the logistics are unclear.
Typically, the Queen and Prince Philip host their children and grandchildren at various points during their stay. The most frequent guests are the Duke of York and his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, while Eugenie’s fiance, Jack Brooksbank, is expected to make an appearance ahead of the couple’s upcoming wedding in October. Recently, Sarah, Duchess of York has been joining the family after a several-year drought, however rumor has it that due to Philip’s ongoing antipathy to her, it will be ensured they don’t overlap.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their two children traditionally visit at some point in August, while the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall usually pop up here and there throughout. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge aren’t necessarily reliable guests, but they usually at least slip in a long weekend before schools picks back up, and one imagines that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will also make it out there. Indeed, there is speculation that they might bring Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, who met the Queen this past spring in the lead up to the wedding.
Finally, the Princess Royal and her husband, Timothy Laurence, are regular guests, occasionally joined by the Princess’s children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall. In this case, Zara is still recovering from the recent birth of her second child, but she’s been seen in public since and it’s unclear whether her grandparents have had the opportunity to meet the new baby, Lena.
Oh, and I suppose it’s worth mentioning that the Prime Minister and their spouse are always invited for a stay while the Queen is in residence.
This year, the Queen was greeted by none other than my very favorite Shetland Pony, Cruachan IV, who, as you may recall, is in the midst of a very dramatic feud with the monarch. He is, quite simply, the highlight of any royal engagement he graces with his presence.
Anywho, things are mostly quiet on the rest of the royal front. As far as we know, most everyone is holed up on holiday, however we can safely assume William and Kate have returned from Mustique since William is due to carry out an engagement in Amiens tomorrow. We won’t cover that here, but depending on whether additional odds and ends pop up, I may include a roundup later this week. Until then, happy Tuesday!
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Thank you – that’s so nice to hear!