King Charles III has continued his late mother – Queen Elizabeth II’s – beloved annual tradition of spending her summer months at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
However, they won’t be able to continue their 175-year-old tradition of hunting near the castle due to their lease officially ending.
This end of an era must be deeply saddening for King Charles, who has connections with now-deceased loved ones on the hunting grounds. Including his first wife Princess Diana, his father Prince Philip, and his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
You see, a Highland Scottish clan has actually owned the land for over 500 years that the royal family leased to hunt and fish. The Gordan’s sold Abergeldie estate in 2020 after the death of the 21st Baron of Abergeldie, John Gordon.
The new landowner, Alastair Storey, 70, has officially ripped up the royal families lease three years later, to make room “for paying visitors to support the sporting activities on the estate.”
WATCH NOW: The Royal Family holiday at Balmoral. Article continues after video.
The newly minted monarch arrived at the property for a summer stay on August 21st and in the coming months is expected to be joined by his family members, including his younger brother Prince Andrew.
Royal experts say the invitation is a means of extending an “olive branch” to the disgraced royal.
“The King and Andrew are now on much better terms and making him the first member of the family to join him is an olive branch,” an insider told The Express.
But not every member of the royal family is on board, with Prince William reportedly expressing his hesitations as to being seen in public with his uncle.
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Despite this, the heir apparent was made to drive his uncle to church at Balmoral this week, his wife Catherine spotted in the backseat with a stern expression on her face.
Earlier this year it was reported that the relationship between Charles and Andrew had hit an “all-time low” after Andrew refused to move out of the Royal Lodge, where he has lived since 2003, into Harry and Meghan’s former (and much smaller) home – Frogmore Cottage.
Since 1852, the lush 50,000-acre estate has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since Prince Albert purchased the property for Queen Victoria.
The Queen’s love affair with the Scottish abode began when she was just a young girl, as she and her sister Margaret enjoyed yearly summer sojourns with their parents.
According to a former royal nanny – Marion Crawford – Balmoral Castle was the only place the family could have “complete freedom”, providing an oasis away from the realities of their royal life.
As Elizabeth grew older, her distant cousin (and future husband) Prince Philip visited the estate, not once but twice, before ultimately proposing to the future Queen of the Commonwealth.
In the decades that followed, Elizabeth and her family continued their annual pilgrimage to the property, which according to the late Queen, had remained remarkably unchanged from Victorian times.
“There is a certain fascination in keeping the place as Queen Victoria had it,” she once said.
In another rare comment about her Scottish home, she said her time there helped her “hibernate.”
“It is rather nice to hibernate when one leads such a movable life. To be able to sleep in the same bed for six weeks, it is a nice change,” she reportedly said per Express.
“You can go out for miles and never see anybody. There are endless possibilities.”
In the documentary, Our Queen at Ninety, Princess Eugenie said the Scottish highlands was where her nan was “most happy.”
“I think she really, really loves the Highlands.”
Ultimately Balmoral was where her Royal Highness spent her last days, family by her side as she passed at 3:10pm on September 8th, 2022.
WATCH NOW: Members of the Royal Family rush to Balmoral Castle to be with the Queen. Article continues after video.
Prior to his mothers passing, Charles would spend his summers at Birkhall, a property co-located to the castle in Balmoral some 15 minutes’ drive away.
Traditionally, the Queen would stay at Balmoral for a three-month period from August until October.
Charles however is expected to cut his stay shorter, presumably so he may return to his official royal duties.
