The royal family’s annual sojourn at Balmoral Castle and the surrounding estate is over for another year. The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, who had just had a cabinet reshuffle, arrived at the castle with Lady Starmer on the Saturday of the Braemar Gathering for an evening audience with the King, an overnight stay and a service at Crathie Kirk the following morning.
In times past the prime minister went for the whole weekend and Cherie Blair was infamously photographed yawning widely in the royal box during the Highland games. Guests at Balmoral are usually invited to partake in the stalking, shooting and fishing that are so much part of the estate, but three years ago – with Queen Elizabeth II’s health deteriorating rapidly – the castle was swiftly emptied of everyone except immediate family.
There is a saying among the royal family that ‘everything happens at Balmoral’ and indeed it frequently does. Prince George, the Duke of Kent, father of the current duke, was killed in an air accident in August 1942 while the royal family were resident at Balmoral; Earl Mountbatten was murdered in August 1979; the Duchess of York’s toe-sucking scandal broke in August 1992 when she was at Balmoral; and of course the royals were in Royal Deeside when Diana, Princess of Wales died in the early hours of 31 August 1997.
Most recently the Duchess of Kent sadly died on 4 September after a long illness while the monarch and his court were still north of the border. Katharine, who had opted out of royal life long ago, had been cared for by her husband Eddie at their Kensington Palace home. Her funeral, a Requiem Mass at Westminster Cathedral attended by the King and Queen, was an important family occasion and reflected the love and esteem in which the duchess was held.
Windsor Castle, meanwhile, was being prepared for the historic second state visit of the President of the United States of America and his First Lady, Melania Trump, which began the following day. Coverage will appear in our November issue.
The Duke of Sussex spent a few days in the UK in September to pay his respects at his grandmother’s final resting place in St George’s Chapel on the third anniversary of her death and to present the 2025 WellChild awards. Besides visiting some of his other charities he had a much-anticipated reunion with the King at Clarence House. Father and son had not seen each other for 19 months and although the 54-minute meeting was held in private over tea it is doubtful if anything too serious was discussed.
Prince Harry must be hoping that the King, Head of the Armed Forces, will attend the Birmingham Invictus Games in July 2027. If this works out it could tie in with the monarch’s desire to see his Sussex grandchildren, six-year-old Archie and Lilibet, four, who would be old enough by then to enjoy at least some of the games.
It may not have been the total reconciliation that the duke hoped for – and members of the family other than his father may not look as kindly on him – but the meeting was certainly a step in the right direction.
