I didn’t talk much about King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Order of the Garter service on Monday, so here you go – some photos of their arrival and exit at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. It honestly felt like this year’s Garter service was kind of subdued – there was no huge controversy, no big briefing war ahead of the event, and Prince Andrew was basically banned and he still hasn’t said anything about it. Camilla is a lady of the Garter, which means she got to wear that velvet robe and the feathered hat and everything else. It feels like a lot of layers for two septuagenarians in June.
Charles and Camilla will reportedly attend every day of Royal Ascot this week, and then they’ll go to Scotland in the first week of July. I don’t know if that’s when they plan to start their summer holiday in Balmoral and Birkhall, but I did see this interesting little piece about how Charles and Camilla won’t stay in Scotland as long as QEII used to.
King Charles will gather the Royal Family together at Balmoral for summer holidays but with an important change from tradition. Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, was a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth and the royals would spend the summer there since the time of Victoria when she acquired the estate. But this year the family’s stay at the 50,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire is likely to be shorter.
Currently the grounds, gardens and exhibitions at Balmoral are being redecorated and they will remain open to the public until mid-August, giving a shorter window for the royals to stay.
The late Queen would typically stay at the castle until October but it is expected that Charles and his family will head off before that to get back for public engagements.
“We expect the family will be together there in the summer. But diaries are still being sorted,” a royal source told the Express. It is understood that at least some of the family will stay at the castle.”
Charles and Camilla have continued to stay at their Jacobean home, Birkhall, on the edge of the estate since the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Balmoral, Birkhall and Castle of Mey are all privately owned by Charles now, although I think he “gave” Castle of Mey to his charity to operate as a tourist attraction/rental. Charles prefers Birkhall and that’s where he wants to stay, and he apparently plans to use Balmoral for, like, family dinners and such. It’s true that QEII liked to stay at Balmoral all summer, through late September and even into early October some years. It’s interesting that Charles will not only refuse to stay at Balmoral, but he’s refusing to stay in Scotland for the whole summer. Interesting.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
I mean new Monarch, new traditions right?Why do the BM always act shocked when Chuck doesn’t do things the way his mother did, unless of course these are traditions that were pre Queen Elizabeth!?
Agreed. Charles has spent a lifetime developing his own preferences – no reason why he should suddenly embrace his dead mother’s habits.
Yeah it was the late queens preference but every monarch (just going by Victoria and on) is different in their routine.
Edward VII gave his mothers beloved Osborne on the Isle of Wight to the nation because he didn’t want to live there. It became a naval school and now is open to the public. (It’s great) I actually hope Charles opens balmoral and sandringham more to the public.
Same with BP. There are parts only open during the summer when they do their annual exhibit. A lot of money is brought in then. If Charles doesn’t want to live there it could and should be open more. Help offset costs.
Even during the summer break Chuck has always done engagements so I would expect that to continue hence the shorter time in Scotland. Plus I think Birkhall is the more modern of the 2 properties – many have said that Balmoral was quite dated.
I am going to assume that by ‘dated’ they mean ‘the plumbing, electricity, and heating are all absolute dogshite, the leaks are starting to outnumber acceptable receptacles for water, the local cat colony cannot keep pace with the local rat/mouse population because everyone who is allowed to make decisions is a dog person who thinks cats are the work of Satan himself, and nobody who has enough liquid cash to fix anything AND is allowed to make decisions actually cares enough to do anything about it’.
A.K.A. “Stately Aristocratic Country Home, Subtype # 1”.
So they can afford to keep an entire castle to just have occasional summer dinners, but dental hygiene and a little skin cream is out of reach?
Also, a little help for Cam’s frizzies, maybe even *gasp* some new bras.
There is a huge difference between bad dental hygiene and ugly teeth.
They do have good dental hygiene, they’re just inveterate smokers and heavy drinkers who belong to a social group who think that if you actually look well-put-together and like you are making an EFFORT to look good then you’re a big fat LOOOOOOSSSEEERRR, and you must be publicly and cruelly mocked. ‘Those who don’t try never look foolish’ seems to be one of their unofficial mottos…or maybe it’s ‘those who try are making us look bad so let’s make them stop’.
Teeth whitening and braces are generally out of the question unless you catch it before it’s obvious and continuing is allowed as ‘maintaining one’s natural looks’. I forget which York Princess it was who had braces but BOY HOWDY did she get mocked for them by her social set, although the ‘tackyness’ was plonked on Fergie and Andrew for the most part because what more could you expect from Fergie and Andrew’s kid? And veneers, Kate is still getting slammed for her veneers as they’re so ‘Middle Class’.
Cosmetic surgery of all kinds is in much the same boat.
The whole “Order of the Garter” thing just makes me laugh.. all the royal events are just modern excuses for Cosplay! 🎭
I wonder how British subjects reconcile the fact that they suffer through cost of living crisis, homelessness and higher mortgage rates, while the royals move around daily throughout the year from one home (palace, castle, house, lodge, cottage) to another. Clarence House, Windsor Castle, Highgrove House, etc. you name it, they are never in one home for more than a week. As a foreigner, it’s bewildering to hear British subjects who are struggling to make ends meet celebrate and defend the arrangement they have to fund the royal family to live a much better life than them. The adoration is mind boggling.
All I can say is those silly hats and ginormous feathers are utterly ridiculous.
Maybe Balmoral has lingering feelings of sadness for some of the family. QEII died there… maybe some need more time.
I’m in a good mood today and feeling especially charitable 😉
He’s going to assemble all the royals there for one week? Or can some of them visit when he and Cam aren’t there and have a better vacation?
The only people who should be rocking this getup in this day and age is Alan Cumming as King James VI & I.