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The Queen and Prince Philip will be moving on from Windsor Castle, their home for the coronavirus lockdown, to take their summer break at Balmoral. The pair usually travel to Balmoral every summer, but plans were up in the air following the coronavirus lockdown.

The monarch will be accompanied by other family members during their stay, with Prince Charles and Camilla, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge among the royals who typically spend time at Balmoral during the summer.

The Queen is said to be most at home on the Aberdeenshire estate where she can relax away from the royal bubble.

The Queen and Philip are likely to enjoy walks in the Highlands and picnics in the castle’s grounds during their summer rest.

The monarch usually starts the break in the seven-bedroom Craigowan Lodge on the estate while the castle is still open to the public, before moving into the main house later in August.

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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have been isolating at Windsor Castle since March but have both stepped out in recent days to attend face-to-face engagements.

On Wednesday morning, Philip broke his retirement for a rare royal engagement in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle.

There the Duke handed over his ceremonial military role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

The Queen and Philip also both attended their grandaughter Princess Beatrice’s secret wedding in Windsor last Friday morning.

Where is Balmoral?

Balmoral is located in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire.

According to visitscotland.com, Royal Deeside “is a fine-looking area that captivated Queen Victoria with its characteristic Scottish blend of moody mountains, lofty crags, tumbling rivers and moors and forests.”

The castle was commissioned by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, and the original castle was demolished after the couple deemed it to small.

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The Balmoral Estate has been added to by successive members of the royal family, and now covers an area of approximately 50,000 acres.

It is a working estate, including grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, and ponies.

The castle is an example of Scottish baronial architecture and is a category A listed building.

It is the Queen’s private residence and does not belong to the Crown Estate like many other royal residences.

Their annual summer break will be an extraordinary stay for the royals, as the pandemic will halt many of their traditions.

The monarch and Prince Philip will go ahead with their annual stay in the Highlands after spending the last four months at their Berkshire residence during the pandemic.

It will be the first time the 94-year-old Queen and Philip have travelled away from Windsor since relocating on March 19 from Buckingham Palace and the Sandringham estate shortly before the UK lockdown began.

Buckingham Palace said the royal pair will make the 500-mile journey north in early August and take up residence at Balmoral.

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