'King Charles' summer Balmoral trip was tinged with sadness as Queen's death fully hit'
ok.co.ukFor almost a century, Balmoral Castle held a special place in the heart of Queen Elizabeth ll. From childhood, she would spend several weeks at the grand turreted property in Royal Deeside, surrounded by close family.The Scottish Highland estate was the place where the late monarch felt happiest and most at peace and many observers felt it fitting that she died there, peacefully, last September.
But for King Charles, Queen Camilla and the rest of Elizabeth ll’s family, returning to Aberdeenshire this summer is likely to have been tinged with sadness. "They have all been so busy, what with the coronation and other commitments, that when they did get up there, I think that yes, it will have hit them," says royal expert Hugo Vickers. "Her absence will have been felt and I’m sure it’s been very poignant for them.
No one will have been in those rooms since she died. "But as Proust said, the pain of loss eventually becomes the joy of remembering.
If you’ve lost somebody and you go to their house and you see their raincoat and their wellington boots in the hall, it gives you a pang at the beginning. "But as time goes on, it’s a great pleasure and joy to come across something you remember.That’s the whole process of grief.” Balmoral was a much-loved and, possibly, much-needed retreat for the late monarch during the summer months.
Read more on ok.co.uk
