King Charles Is Reportedly Making Major Changes to the Royal Family’s Annual Summer Vacation After Queen Elizabeth’s Death
King Charles III has made quite a few changes since stepping into the role of monarch, which was formerly held by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The queen ruled the United Kingdom for 70 years, and during that time, she created a number of traditions that the family has since followed.
Each summer and winter, the royal family would take a trip together; in the summer months, the queen spent most of her time at Balmoral, the family’s getaway in Scotland. Now, though, Charles is reportedly making some big changes to the summer schedule — and it involves less time at his mother’s favorite place.
King Charles will reportedly spend less time at Balmoral this year
Balmoral is no summer cottage. The massive estate sits on 50 acres, and it’s been somewhere the royal family has gathered for decades. The queen often spent whole summers there, and it was infamously where she was watching over Prince Harry and Prince William when their mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a car accident in 1997. Now, though Charles plans to keep Balmoral as a vacation spot for the royals, but with one big change: They’ll be spending less time there.
“We expect the family will be together there in the summer,” a royal source told Express. “But diaries are still being sorted.” Express also reports that Balmoral’s grounds will be open to tourists into August, meaning there is no way the royal family is arriving sooner than that. Plus, royal expert Ingrid Seward also said Balmoral Castle is undergoing a small remodel, which is meant to bring the décor up to speed. “It had got a bit shabby,” she told Express.
Queen Elizabeth II spent a lot of time at Balmoral
During the queen’s life, Balmoral Castle meant a great deal to her. It was her favorite summer spot, and she was known to spend several months there. Typically, the queen would arrive in July, and she would often stay through the remaining warmer months and not head back to London until around October.
The entire royal family would spend summers at the castle including the royal children, who would spend even more time there than their working-royal parents. William and Harry often spend just as much time up there as the queen, and it’s where the two boys learned their mother had died back in summer 1997.
Balmoral has been in the royal family for ages; it was purchased back in 1852 by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria, and it’s been a symbol of the royal family’s summer holidays ever since. Charles seems to want to keep it as such, but he is spending his time as king a bit differently than his mother did. Prince William and Kate Middleton will also likely spend time up there this summer with their children, but it’s safe to say Prince Harry and Meghan Markle almost certainly won’t be joining. The two families have been at odds for a few years, and the queen’s death didn’t bring them as close as the public thought.
