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The Windsors are enjoying their summer break with an annual sojourn to their private estate at Balmoral imminent.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have already been joined in Scotland by Princess Anne and it is believed that they will soon be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as their three young children.
The break will give the family a chance to take stock of a difficult first half of 2024, which saw them experience several health problems and ongoing tensions with the Sussexes.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to have not been invited to the estate, but it is unlikely that they would have accepted an invitation after the Duke of Sussex said the UK is too dangerous for his wife to visit.
The journey to Scotland marks the furthest distance Kate is reported to have travelled since being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer earlier this year.
Royal author Phil Dampier told Fabulous: “The fact that Kate is well enough to travel to Scotland and enjoy a holiday at Balmoral is a sure sign she is on the mend and a very positive step.”
While it is not known exactly when the Wales family are expected to travel to Balmoral, Princess Anne has already arrived at the estate.
The Princess Royal, 73, widely regarded as one of the hardest working royals, attended the Edinburgh Military Tattoo on Monday evening and was reported to have travelled north shortly thereafter.
Mr Dampier speculated that the Wales children will likely enjoy the vast grounds of Balmoral on their trip, which include the River Dee and 50,000 acres of forest, mountains and fields.
“Obviously, there’s so much space up there, so the children can go off,” he said.
“I’m sure that George is of an age now where he’ll be fishing, possibly in the River Dee there.”
Other activities the family may pursue include cycling, which William and Kate are known to enjoy, as well as picnics, and potentially even horse riding.
Phil added: “There’s so much space that they can go off for picnics, go off for massive long walks, and just enjoy the fresh air and the forest up there, and enjoy the freedom.
“They might get a pony up there and start doing some horse riding if they’re not already.
“That’s the sort of thing they’ll get up to.
“It’s all the typical traditional royal pursuits that they can enjoy if they want to up there.”
According to reports, the royal family have long favoured Balmoral because of the privacy afforded to them on the estate and surrounding area by locals.
They do not typically share many pictures from their time on the Aberdeenshire estate either and the last time dominated the mainstream media was the Queen’s death at Balmoral in September 2022.
The royal family’s holiday at the estate comes after Balmoral opened previously unseen parts of the castle to the public for the first time this summer.
James Hamilton Goddard, visitor enterprise manager for the Balmoral Estate, explained that this included quarters currently used by the royals when on holiday.
He said: “It’s a magnificent place, I think the King wants people to see [it]. We were asked, my department, to put this together and we put this together.
“The public who managed to get a ticket will come away [having seen] the royal family’s holiday home – that’s exactly what it is, it feels very homely.”
The tour, which has now ended, featured entrance hall, red corridor, main and family dining rooms, page’s lobby, library and drawing room.
Unlike other royal properties, Balmoral is privately owned by the Windsor family, but Charles made the unprecedented decision to share this aspect of their lives with the public too.
