King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla privately mourning Queen Elizabeth in Birkhall

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Queen Elizabeth passed away at the Scottish residence with the then-Prince Charles and Princess Royal by her side

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla have returned to Balmoral Castle for the first time since his mother Queen Elizabeth’s death on 8th September 2022.

The late monarch passed away at the age of 96 at the royal residence in Scotland, with two of her children the then-Prince Charles and Princess Royal by her side.

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King Charles escaped to Balmoral on Tuesday for a period of private mourning following the Queen’s state funeral on Monday, where 2,000 guests attended to pay their respects from all over the world.

King Charles is mourning the loss of his mother (Pic:Getty)King Charles is mourning the loss of his mother (Pic:Getty)
King Charles is mourning the loss of his mother (Pic:Getty) | Getty Images

The 73-year-old monarch will spend a week mourning with his wife Camilla at the place Elizabeth II loved best, in their own home of Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate.

The pair arrived after spending Monday night at Windsor Castle after a private interment, where Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest next to her husband the late Prince Philip, and alongside her mother, father and sister.

A source told the Daily Mail: “He is grieving for his mother as any loving son would, with all that entails on a human level.”

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King Charles is spending a week in private mourning for his late mother Queen Elizabeth (Pic:Getty)King Charles is spending a week in private mourning for his late mother Queen Elizabeth (Pic:Getty)
King Charles is spending a week in private mourning for his late mother Queen Elizabeth (Pic:Getty) | Getty Images

While another added: “He is incredibly mindful of the extra focus that comes from being the King and that things can’t carry on exactly as they were before.”

The Royal family descend upon the Scottish estate every summer to take some time away from royal duties.

King Charles will continue to undertake important constitutional roles while grieving in private, however all public engagements have been cancelled and an extended period of mourning for the Royal Family will be in place until next Monday evening (26 September).

Camilla, Queen Consort has joined King Charles to Balmoral (Pic:Getty)Camilla, Queen Consort has joined King Charles to Balmoral (Pic:Getty)
Camilla, Queen Consort has joined King Charles to Balmoral (Pic:Getty) | Getty Images

King Charles’ period of “quiet reflection” comes as the Royal Family shared an unseen picture of his late mother standing in the grounds of Balmoral with a caption quoting Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

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It read: “May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest…In loving memory of Her Majesty The Queen, 1926-2022.”

The image was taken by the Queen’s cousin, the Fifth Earl of Lichfield in 1971, who visited his family during one of their summer holidays.

Green credentials: The Queen and Prince Charles recently planted a tree on her Balmoral Estate.Green credentials: The Queen and Prince Charles recently planted a tree on her Balmoral Estate.
Green credentials: The Queen and Prince Charles recently planted a tree on her Balmoral Estate.

While King Charles will spend the next week and maybe longer, at the Scottish estate, long-term plans have been mapped out that the new King and his Queen Consort will move into Buckingham Palace from their home Clarence House in the future.

The 73-year-old King has said to be “touched and encouraged” by the public reaction in the days since Elizabeth II passed and will continue to work hard to fill his mother’s position while away from the public eye.

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A former senior royal aide said: “Anyone who has worked with him knows that rest and relaxation are not on his priority list…it will require all the guile of his team and the Queen Consort to persuade him that he doesn’t have to take everything on at once.”

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