The King has long cherished his January retreat to Scotland, a routine he has kept for many years. Photo / Getty Images
The King has long cherished his January retreat to Scotland, a routine he has kept for many years. Photo / Getty Images
The King will spend most of January in Scotland as he cements a new royal tradition.
The King, 75, and the Queen, 76, spent New Year’s Eve at Sandringham, but they are expected to fly to Aberdeenshire within the next day or two.
They will spend the next few weeksat Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate, which is said to be the King’s favourite residence and the one they consider their marital home.
Charles is also likely to spend time at the Castle of Mey, his late grandmother’s former home on the north coast.
By opting to relocate to Scotland, the King is forging his own path as monarch, breaking with a decades-old tradition set by Elizabeth II.
The late Queen traditionally opted to remain in Norfolk throughout January to mark her accession day, February 6, at Sandringham, where her father, George VI, died peacefully in his sleep in 1952 after suffering from lung cancer.
Friends and members of the royal family came and went as they extended the New Year festivities with shooting parties that stretched over long weekends.
But the King has long cherished his January retreat to Scotland, a routine he has kept for many years.
This time, for the second consecutive year, his days will be punctuated with the arrival of his red boxes of government papers, but otherwise it will largely be a time to recharge the batteries.
The traditional smattering of house guests is unlikely to differ from days of old, with Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, and close friends such as former Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Soames, among the regular visitors.
Before heading north, the King and Queen spent Sunday at Sandringham to see in the new year.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave after attending a Sunday church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. Photo / Getty Images
On Sunday, they made one final walk from the “big house” to St Mary Magdalene Church for the weekly Sunday service, greeting well-wishers who waited to see them.
They were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at the church for their first public outing since Christmas Day.
Both Charles and Camilla, who was wearing a blue feathered hat and matching coat, appeared in good spirits, laughing and joking with members of the public.
Last Monday, the King and Queen led a large group of extended family members and aides to the traditional Christmas Day service.
Among them was Sarah, Duchess of York, who was allowed to join the high-profile outing for the first time in more than three decades.
The duchess, who spent last Christmas with the family at Sandringham but was not invited to join the walk to church, was back in the fold for the first time since her 1992 toe-sucking scandal with US financier John Bryan, months after separating from Prince Andrew.
She wrote on Instagram: “We are enjoying each other’s company and feeling grateful. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Happy Christmas to anyone who celebrates and season’s greetings to all!”
The family show of unity also had Mike and Zara Tindall’s elder daughter, Mia, 9, walk at the front of the family group alongside her cousins, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
