The Queen is reportedly set to visit Scotland later this month on her first trip north of the border since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.
The monarch will break from the usual royal calendar by travelling to the traditional summer retreat at Balmoral for a period of “quiet” reflection, according to royal experts.
Queen Victoria retreated to Balmoral during her reign after the death of Prince Albert.
And the reigning monarch is set to follow suit, though she will be accompanied by a much smaller staff made up of her closest advisors and confidants and will likely be kept company by her niece, Lady Sarah Chatto.
The Queen usually visits the estate in the summertime, with an annual trip pencilled in for July, however this one will also see her stay outside Balmoral Castle.
Instead, she is likely to stay at the seven-bedroom Craigowan Lodge, around a mile from the main Castle.
The house was previously often the home of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales when they visited.
Writing in The Daily Mail, Emma Cowing said: "The time at Balmoral will be a period of quiet reflection, punctuated by the same sense of faithful routine she has kept to for almost a century."
