The late Queen Elizabeth II was known to adore Balmoral, making the 516-mile journey north every summer to enjoy time off duty with her family at the rambling rural retreat. Here are the key facts to know about the King’s Scottish bolthole

Described by Princess Eugenie as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’, Balmoral holds a special place in the hearts of the Royal Family. It was often described as the late Queen’s favourite home. She had no official duties there, apart from attending the Braemar Gathering, where she would often be an excited onlooker at the caber tossing, the tug of war and the sack races.
Prince Albert bought Balmoral for £32,000 in 1852 (roughly around £4m today), which means it’s privately owned, like Sandringham, and not part of the Crown Estate. The castle is a rebuild of the original property, which Prince Albert considered too small.
The King’s arrival at Balmoral typically begins with an inspection of a guard of honour from the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, who make up part of her protection while he’s there.
One tradition established by Queen Victoria that the Queen reportedly used to enjoy was having a bagpiper play for 15 minutes under her window at 9am every morning. This was also known to take place at Buckingham Palace, Windsor and Holyroodhouse (but not at Sandringham) to remind her of the Highlands.

While lots of people travel with their favourite pillow or tea bags when they go away, the late Queen was said to always bring her knighting sword to Balmoral.
Queen Elizabeth and the late Duke of Edinburgh typically used to spend the first week of their Balmoral summer at the much more private Craigowan Lodge, a seven-bedroom guesthouse about a mile from the castle.
If you visit the estate, don’t be surprised if the charming man you speak to walking through the hills is the King himself – as some blissfully unaware British tourists once discovered.
The King typically hosts the annual Ghillies Ball in the Castle Ballroom, where neighbours and estate and castle staff join in with Scottish dancing.
Picnics on the estate are common, while the late Prince Philip reportedly enjoyed presiding over the BBQ for informal lunches (although black-tie dinners take place at Balmoral, too).
Margaret Thatcher once sent the late Queen a pair of rubber gloves as a Christmas present after being surprised to see her washing up at Balmoral with bare hands.
There is a lot to get stuck into, from shooting and stalking to salmon fishing – a favourite of the King Charles.
The King’s Scottish titles include Sovereign of the Order of the Thistle and, even better, Chief of the Chiefs.