Why is Balmoral Castle a Royal Family favourite? Queen Elizabeth II often spent the summer months in Scotland

The 50,000-acre Scottish estate has been the royals’ summer holiday destination since it was first bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852.

Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ was spending the last few weeks of her annual break at Balmoral before her death was announced on Thursday 8 September.

She died at the age of 96 after ruling as monarch for 70 years.

Much like her great-great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth found Scotland to be one of the “most beautiful places” and even spent time at the family’s Scottish residence as part of her honeymoon with Prince Philip in 1947.

Following their marriage 75 years ago, the royal couple would travel to Balmoral which is located in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, in mid-July and stay there until September or October for their summer holidays.

Princess Eugenie told ITV’s Our Queen at Ninety: “I think Granny is most happy there. I think she really loves the Highlands.

“It’s a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa, for us to come and see them up there; where you just have room to breathe and run.”

Princess Eugenie went on to explain that the Queen’s summer holidays are often filled with cinema evenings, picnics and “a lot of dogs,” with visitors coming and going regularly.

The main purpose of the summer break for the Queen and her family is to relax, with the majority of their time spent outdoors with BBQs, games and walks.

While the turreted main castle is open to the public until August, the Queen stays in another house on the estate called Craigowan Lodge before moving to the main castle.

In addition to the public gracing the grounds, the Queen has hosted many famous faces at the Scottish residence including former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher.

Tony Blair’s wife Cherie even revealed in her 2008 autobiography Speaking For Myself that their son Leo was conceived on the property.

She wrote: “In 1998 I had been extremely disconcerted to discover that everything of mine had been unpacked…this year I had been a little more circumspect and had not packed my contraceptive out of sheer embarrassment.

“As usual up there, it had been bitterly cold, and what with one thing and another…”

Royal households unpacking visitor’s luggage is customary at the Queen’s residences.

Kate Middleton visited the estate in the early stages of her relationship with Prince William, while they were on holiday from St Andrews University.

It has been claimed that the Duke of Cambridge also set up a candlelit dinner in a remote log cabin on the edge of the River Dee in 2009.

The beautiful landscape has been in the family since Prince Albert bought it for Queen Victoria, making it privately owned compared to Buckingham Palace.

Queen Victoria wrote in her diary: “All seemed to breathe freedom and peace [in Balmoral], and to make one forget about the world and its sad turmoils.”