Queen Elizabeth, 96, is under medical supervision at her beloved Balmoral Castle in Scotland — a place where the Queen of England has always felt most comfortable and acted most like her subjects.
Balmoral Castle — described by visitors as “freaky” and “surreal” — is the vast countryside escape where the longtime monarch had enthusiastically washed her own dishes.
The Hogwarts-looking Scottish summer home is where the royal and her predecessors annually summered for almost two centuries.
Each year, Her Majesty enjoys spending the warm months at the castle with her grand princes and princesses as well as other high-profile guests.
The queen and her royal relatives even act “as normal people – to a point” while at Balmoral, former royal librarian Jane Roberts said.
“It’s the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands.”
Although Balmoral is a favorite to frolic for the queen, not all royals felt the same magic during their trips.
A royal pain
Princess Diana was especially down on Balmoral for several reasons. Prominently because it’s where she spent a “less-than-romantic honeymoon” with Prince Charles in 1981, according to Sally Bedell Smith’s biography “Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch.”
“She didn’t appear for breakfast. At lunch she sat with her headphones on, listening to music, and then she would disappear for a walk or a run.”
In ways of showing her distaste, the late princess reportedly behaved like a rebellious teenager around the royal family in Scotland, Prince Philip told Smith.
Arguably the biggest culture shock at Balmoral is that the queen insists on being a top-notch homemaker — particularly after meals when she washes dishes herself.
“You think I’m joking, but I’m not. They put the gloves on and stick their hands in the sink. The Queen asks if you’ve finished, she stacks the plates up and goes off to the sink.”
The queen and her kin’s known love toward animals extend to within the Balmoral grounds.Despite bats being known to “defecate all over the place,” Elizabeth II insists on treating them mercifully.
When visiting the Balmoral estate, Prince Charles, who stays with Camilla at Birkhall, also has shown an affinity to the grounds’ creatures, great and small.
Prince William
“He is completely infatuated by the red squirrels that live around the estate in Scotland — to the extent that he’s given them names and is allowing them into the house.”
Doctors concerned about Queen Elizabeth II’s health