Inside the Balmoral summer trip Archie will enjoy with the Queen – from TV marathons & BBQs to doing the washing up
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry may have left royal duties, but they will still get to experience one of the innermost sanctums of the royal family - the Balmoral summer holiday - if the coronavirus crisis is over.
Every year, the Queen, her family and some hand-selected guests make their way to their sprawling Scottish castle to “let their hair down” away from the public.
Last year the Duke and Duchess of Sussex declined an invite to the posh countryside retreat, saying Archie - who was four-months-old at the time - was too young.
But what can the couple expect to experience at the “Queen’s favourite home” this summer if, hopefully, the coronavirus crisis is over and they can leave their Canadian mansion where they are currently self-isolation.
Who will be on the royal guestlist?
While the Queen and Prince Philip would take their four children to Balmoral with them every year when they were growing up, the couple now invite their grandchildren and their families to join them during their summer break.
The Fab Four could be reunited once more - although if Meghan and Harry’s seemingly frosty Commonwealth Service run-in with Kate and Will was anything to go by, it might not be all “jolly holidays”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may find themselves unwinding with Boris Johnson and his currently-pregnant fiance Carrie Symonds, who also visited last year.
Prime Ministers are often extended an exclusive invite, and Tony Blair once eye-openingly described the trip as a “vivid combination of the intriguing, the surreal, and the utterly freaky.”
Meanwhile, an official for Margaret Thatcher said “she couldn’t get away fast enough.”
The Queen is so strict about maintaining her family's privacy at Balmoral that she rarely lets photographers into her summer home - but allowed Kate Middleton to take some photos during her first ever trip.
What will Meghan and Prince Harry do at Balmoral?
Meghan and Harry will certainly start their day with a bang, as the Queen is woken up by a bagpiper playing under her window for 15 minutes at 9am every morning.
According to Princess Eugenie, Her Maj is "the most happy” at Balmoral with a typical day involving "walks, picnics and a lot of dogs".
The Queen is often seen riding horses or driving her beloved Range Rover over the estate’s rugged terrain.
Animal-lover Meghan may raise her eyes at some of the sports on offer, with hunting grouse and fly fishing being much-loved group activities at the summer retreat.
Harry, who was taught to hunt from a young age, may decide to join in - although baby Archie will certainly be too young to learn the ropes.
One of the casualties of the coronavirus lockdown could be the annual Ghillies Ball, hosted by the Queen and held in the Castle Ballroom.
All the servants, indoors and outdoors staff, are invited, and a gamekeeper or footman can find themselves dancing opposite their sovereign.
One courtier said about the ball: “Her Majesty is still a nimble mover on the dance floor. Her favourite dance is the Dashing White Sergeant.”
Royal author Juliet Rieden also recently claimed that Balmoral is where The Queen enjoys a "normal existence" and even helps her staff with the washing up.
Speaking to Nine News, Juliet said: “This is where she loves to be, this is holiday time for the Queen. She always said this is where she feels most herself and feels most free.
Her Majesty is still a nimble mover on the dance floor. Her favourite dance is the Dashing White Sergeant.
Palace Courtier on the Ghillies Ball
"When they are out having their barbecues, which they love to do out in the grounds of Balmoral – it’s a massive estate, the most beautiful grounds – where they literally set up a barbecue.
"And afterward the Queen does the washing up."
Margaret Thatcher was so shocked at witnessing the Queen doing the washing up with bare hands that she is said to have sent her a pair of rubber gloves.
Where do the royals all stay at Balmoral?
The Queen - and Philip, if he is well enough - usually spend the first week of their Balmoral summer at the much more private Craigowan Lodge, a seven-bedroom guesthouse about a mile from the castle. A mini-break within their major-break.
Then they head to the main Scottish castle of Balmoral, which has been in the Royal Family since 1852 and boasts over 50,000 acres of land with a whopping 52 bedrooms.
Despite the large number of rooms, William and Kate could opt to stay separate from the rest of the family if they desire.
What do the royals eat at Balmoral?
The Queen may have a chef to prepare meals each day as you’d imagine, but is said to enjoy indulging in a local takeaway from time to time at Balmoral too.
For the Queen, afternoon tea is the most important refreshment of the day, and would be when she would expect Harry and Meghan and any other members of the family to gather around her.
The sovereign is "very exacting" about the way the actual drink is made, according to Prince Charles.
The prince told a guest at a party in Scotland that the teatime ritual is “sacrosanct” for his mother, and said: “In our family everything stops for tea. I have never known a family so addicted to it.”
What traditions does the Queen follow at Balmoral?
There is no shortage of visual entertainment at Balmoral - if you don’t mind watching old TV programmes with the Queen.
The Queen may be lacking the box set of Suits, but The Bill - her favourite show - will be on hand.
When the Queen arrives at Balmoral for her annual break in the Highlands, she knows there will always be a collection of recordings of favourite TV programmes waiting for her in the form of a series of DVDs neatly stacked in her private sitting room.
Each year the monarch’s private secretary sends a list of the shows she would like to see to the Special Services department at the BBC, which puts together a collection (both from its own output and from the independent channels).
The Queen’s arrival at her 52,000-acre Scottish estate always begins with an inspection of a guard of honour from the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, who make up part of her protection while she’s there.
Another practice which has been kept up through her reign is, strangely, the royal inspection of the sandwiches given to the troops who guard her at the castle.
“Years ago the Queen told the commanding officer that she wanted to see that the soldiers’ food was up to standard,” says a Balmoral insider.
“Ever since then she inspects the packed lunches of all the regiments who serve her during her stay by visiting the kitchens to sample their sandwiches. Those that don’t make the grade are sent back.”
The Sun also revealed that Balmoral is full of bats - and The Queen has been helping servants when they're chasing them around with nets.
The ballroom of the large Aberdeenshire estate is believed to be home to a colony of pipistrelle bats that nest in the rafters - and Her Majesty has even pointed them out to her staff so they can catch them with nets.
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