Beloved Balmoral, the queen’s personal sanctuary

Prince Charles and Princess Anne exercising their ponies under the watchful eyes of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh during the royal family’s summer vacation at Balmoral castle on Aug 15, 1959. Photos: AP

When the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s body pulled out of the gates of Balmoral Castle last Sunday (Sept 11), it marked the monarch’s final departure from a personal sanctuary where she could shed the straitjacket of protocol and ceremony for a few weeks every year.

The sprawling estate in the Scottish Highlands west of Aberdeen was a place where Elizabeth rode her beloved horses, picnicked, and pushed her children around the grounds on tricycles and wagons, setting aside the formality of Buckingham Palace.