In the pink! Beaming Queen attends official welcome ceremony at Balmoral during her first summer holiday at her Scottish estate without Prince Philip
- Queen, 95, was officially welcomed to Balmoral today to mark the start of her Scottish summer holiday
- Marks her first summer at the Aberdeenshire estate since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in April
- The Queen looked radiant in a pink floral dress, pink coat and matching hat for today’s engagement
- It is the first time the welcome ceremony has taken place since 2019 due to Covid-19 restrictions
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The Queen looked radiant in a pink ensemble as she was officially welcomed to Balmoral Castle today.
In a small ceremony outside the Castle gates, Her Majesty inspected a Guard of Honour and met The Royal Regiment of Scotland’s Mascot, Shetland Pony Lance Corporal Cruachan IV.
The monarch, 95, has been at the Aberdeenshire estate since late July but today attended the official event marking the start of her annual stay.
Over the coming weeks she is expected to host family members including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex and Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
It marks the Queen’s first summer holiday at her Scottish estate since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in April, at the age of 99.
The Queen looked radiant in a pink ensemble as she was officially welcomed to Balmoral Castle today
In a small ceremony outside the Castle gates, Her Majesty inspected a Guard of Honour and met The Royal Regiment of Scotland’s Mascot, Shetland Pony Lance Corporal Cruachan IV (pictured)
The monarch, 95, has been at the Aberdeenshire estate since late July but was formally welcomed in a traditional ceremony to mark her stay
The Queen donned a floral dress, pink coat and matching hat for the pared back ceremony today
The Queen was greeted outside the castle by a Guard of Honour formed of the 5 SCOTS, Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, under the Command of Major Cameron Law. The Queen is Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
This is the first time the welcome ceremony has taken place since 2019. In line with government guidelines, the ceremony did not take place last year.
It comes after a source claimed the Queen is ‘itching for things to get back to normal’ during her annual break at and hopes to host a BBQ for the royal family at the castle.
A source told The Sun: ‘The family barbecues are back on the agenda even without Philip there for the first time.’
It comes days after it was revealed Fergie has been invited to stay at the Queen’s Scottish retreat this summer.
‘Sarah Ferguson is coming,’ a source told Richard Eden. ‘She will be here with Andrew.’
It’s not clear whether Fergie and Andrew will be joined by their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.