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Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen officially begins her summer holiday as she arrives at Balmoral Castle

The Queen’s summer holiday officially got underway on Monday as she arrived at Balmoral Castle, her private and personally owned estate in Scotland.

Every year, The Queen and some members of the Royal Family spend the summer months at Balmoral which Queen Victoria once described as “my dear paradise in the Highlands.”

Other than at Christmas, this is the only time Her Majesty has a break in the working year – it is regarded as one of her favourite places to go.

During her stay at Balmoral, The Queen hosts a variety of guests from her family to the Prime Minister.

She arrived at the castle solo on Monday afternoon. Usually, the Duke of Edinburgh joins her in mid-August, however, with his recent hip surgery, it is unknown whether he will remain at Sandringham this year for the remainder of the summer months.

During the Royal Family’s time at Balmoral, engagements are rarely carried out by The Queen and the Royal Family spend the time on leisure activities such as fishing and shooting.

The Queen and the Royal Family will spend the entirety of August and September at Balmoral; some members of the Royal Family will continue to perform engagements whilst The Queen is in Scotland though typically, this time of the year includes less royal engagements.

Some guests who are expected to join The Queen at Balmoral for a few days include the Prince of Wales & the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of York and his two daughters, and other extended family members.

For the past few years, Sarah, Duchess of York has also stayed as a guest of The Queen at the castle. With Princess Eugenie’s upcoming wedding in October, it is likely that she will also make an appearance in Scotland this year alongside her ex-husband.

By tradition, the Prime Minister and their spouse will also be invited to stay at Balmoral for a few days during the summer. Theresa and Philip May are expected to stay at some point over the next few weeks.

Despite this being The Queen’s holiday time, she will still receive her daily famous ‘red box’ whilst at Balmoral which contains a summary of events in Parliament, which The Queen is always said to take a keen interest in.