As the summer break at Balmoral draws to a close, The Queen has been spotted out and about doing one of the things she loves best – looking after her horses. On Saturday, photographers snapped the Queen making an impromptu stop to feed some of the estate’s ponies during a day out with guests at her Scottish retreat. And there was a right royal treat for one of the horses as the Queen produced a sweet from her coat pocket as a pony snack.
The stop to check on the animals came as The Queen, and a small group of guests toured the estate with Her Majesty driving herself for this day out. The royal party had lunch and spent some time hunting in the grounds which cover around 50,000 acres. The Duke of Edinburgh didn’t join his wife, but he was seen out and about on the estate on the same day.
The Queen arrived at Balmoral in the first week of August during the hottest summer the UK has experienced for years. But as her stay came to an end, she was wrapped up against the autumn chill with her trademark headscarf in place. During her holiday she has been joined by many members of her family including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Princess Royal.
This weekend, the Queen was also seen attending Sunday service at Crathie Kirk, arriving by car with her nephew, Earl Snowdon. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were also at the church service. Her Majesty usually spends her summer in Scotland and in recent years she has stayed at Balmoral until the end of September.
The Queen’s next scheduled engagement, according to the Royal Diary on the official website, is on 17 October. However, she is expected back in London in the coming days, and in less than three weeks she will attend the marriage of her granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, who is set to wed Jack Brooksbank at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor on 12 October.
