Queen Elizabeth Kicks Off Summer Break at Balmoral with Small Ceremony (Including a Pony)

Published Aug 10, 2021

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3:24pm

Queen Elizabeth is officially OOO. The 95-year-old recently arrived at Balmoral Castle to kick off her annual summer break.

Per the official Instagram account of the royal family, Her Majesty was welcomed with a small ceremony and participated in an inspection of the Balaklava Company, 5 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. At one point, she was even met by a very regal Shetland pony named Corporal Cruachan IV, who happens to serve as the mascot of the Royal Regiment.

Luckily for us, a post shared on the account included photos of Liz from the event. For her arrival, the queen looked chic in a bright pink ensemble with a matching hat and a black blag. See the images below.

Although the queen visited Balmoral last summer, the ceremony was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the royal, the late Prince Philip and their two dogs quietly boarded a private plane to Aberdeenshire and were taken by car to Balmoral.

Queen Elizabeth has spent almost every summer at Balmoral Castle. (She typically arrives in late July and departs sometime in September.) The estate is located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and has been in the royal family since 1852, when it was purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert. Unlike some residences (like Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace), Balmoral Castle isn’t owned by the Crown, but the family itself.

While this technically is a vacation for the royal, she will still be fulfilling a handful of duties as the monarch. While on holiday, she’ll continue to work and read materials pertinent to the Commonwealth, which are delivered to the estate daily.

Enjoy your time off, Lilibet.

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Alexandra Hough

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