‘The Queen has invited Fergie’ to Balmoral says royal expert

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Queen Elizabeth II, 95, marked the official start of her summer break in the Scottish Highlands on Tuesday. Every year the Queen travels to Aberdeenshire to spend several months at Balmoral Castle where she enjoys a rare break away from her royal duty.

The Royal Family’s official Twitter account shared pictures of the Queen stepping out in Scotland to mark the start of her holidays.

She was dressed in a striking pink outfit and wore a wide grin as she met the guards taking part in the ceremonial display put on to greet her.

The Palace tweeted: “The Queen has arrived at Balmoral Castle for her summer break.

“In a small ceremony outside the Castle gates, Her Majesty inspected a Guard of Honour formed of the @5_scots, Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.”

While the Queen is expected to host Royal Family members throughout the summer as usual there is one tradition she is likely to skip due to the pandemic.

On Tuesday Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer referred to the paper’s royal coverage for the day on Twitter.

Mr Palmer wrote: “Details of Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew emerged too late for first editions but our night desk changed up for later editions today.

“We also report that the Queen is expected to skip church services at Crathie Kirk while at Balmoral this summer.”

In a follow-up tweet, he added: “My attempt to explain why the Queen currently intends to avoid Crathie Kirk services has been edited out for space but the Queen has generally worshipped privately during the pandemic.

“Worshippers in Scotland still have to wear face masks in church and give contact details.

“With the Scottish government still urging caution, there obviously remains some concern and a desire to limit the risks to a 95-year-old monarch.”

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Mr Palmer added: “Wearing a face mask throughout a church service may not be to her liking either.”

The Queen is head of the Church of England and a deeply devout Christian.

While in previous years, crowds have gathered outside Crathie Kirk to greet the Queen on Sundays, she is expected to worship behind doors this year.

This year will be markedly different for the Queen as it is the first time she has visited Balmoral since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, in April.

The Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh cherished their time in Scotland together every year and used to spend two weeks at a secluded cottage in the grounds of Balmoral before moving into the castle.

Her daughter Princess Anne will be 71 this Sunday and after her birthday celebrations were pared back amid the pandemic last year, it is thought she could travel to Scotland to celebrate with the Queen this weekend.

The Queen is also expected to host Prince William, 39, his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, 39 and their three children over the summer.

Her youngest son Prince Edward, 57, and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 56, are also likely to visit with their children Lady Louise, 17, and James, 13.

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