Balmoral Castle, accompanying the Queen of England throughout her life

Source: Global Times

The death of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland last week has aroused widespread concern in the world. Balmoral Castle, the Queen's favorite summer holiday, took her family on holiday every summer during her 70-year reign. A British historian and biographer once said that in the Queen's heart, Buckingham Palace is her office, Windsor Castle is her home, and only at Balmoral Castle, she can get away from official troubles, avoid public view, return to the family, and be a wife, mother and grandmother. It can be said that Balmoral Castle is a resting place for the queen's soul.

The silence of the Queen's heart

Balmoral Castle was purchased by Queen Victoria in the mid-19th century and converted into the Scottish Manor style. In 1936, Edward VIII, who "did not love the country and loved the beauty", abdicated. Elizabeth II's father took over the throne from his brother to become George VI, and later spent a huge amount of money to buy Balmoral Castle from his brother, which was reportedly sold for 300,000 pounds, although the transaction process was quite uneventful, but the castle bought in the turmoil could later bring a peaceful life for the royal family for several months a year. Queen Elizabeth should have reportedly been unimpressed when she first visited the castle, as she was a baby at the time.

Nestled deep in the Scottish mountains, nestled next to a small river, Balmoral is not only a castle, but also two country houses miles away from the castle, as well as the surrounding forests and wilderness. Here, the Queen and her family can avoid the hundreds of official events scheduled each year and the media, the public view, where they can walk, ride horses, hunt and fish. The Queen is also happy to integrate into the surrounding community activities, such as attending church prayers and watching the Scottish Highland Games. Since childhood, Princess Elizabeth has often come to Balmoral with her parents for holidays, and her parents have also enjoyed this Scottish country life.

In 1939, the third year that George VI bought Balmoral, World War II broke out. At the time, the family was on vacation in Balmoral. For security reasons, the King and Queen decided to leave Princess Elizabeth, who was only 13 years old at the time, and her sister Princess Margaret, who was 9 years old at the time, in Balmoral, and the couple returned to London, which was shrouded in the clouds of Bombing by Nazi German aircraft. Two weeks later, the sisters heard on the radio the broadcast of their father's declaration of war on Germany.

Balmoral was not only a quiet place to escape the chaos of war, but also a sweet place in the queen's heart. In 1947, Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip and came to Balmoral for her honeymoon. The happiness of these sweet years can be seen in the letters written by the princess to her mother and her girlfriend. In her letter, Elizabeth describes the winter snow in Balmoral, the elf-like critters in the snow, and the romantic scene of her husband reading for himself under the lamp. In a letter to her girlfriend, she announced that she was married to the best man in the world.

Not only the Queen, Balmoral was also a resting place for Prince Charles (now Charles III) to rest his soul. Because of his sensitive and weak personality from an early age, when he was a teenager, Prince Charles was sent by his father, Prince Philip, to the Boarding School Goldstreet School, a hundred kilometers away, which was also Prince Philip's alma mater. Here Prince Charles endures daily morning runs in the cold wind and cold baths. Because of his identity and personality, the prince did not have any friends at school and felt very lonely. At that time, the Queen's mother, Queen Elizabeth, lived in Balmoral Castle. In such a school career, returning to Balmoral every weekend to receive meticulous care from his grandmother became the comfort that Prince Charles longed for the most.

"Balmoral Test"

Balmoral Castle bears witness to a series of legendary tales of the British royal family, both joy and sorrow. Therefore, there is also a saying in Britain that Balmoral is also a testing ground for the "new people" of the royal family. The Queen's husband, Prince Philip, was the winner of the Balmoral Test. In the summer of 1946, Philip, who was still a prince at the time, came to Balmoral Castle as a guest, where he put on the Scottish "Kilt" checkered skirt and passed the "test" with good upbringing and humorous conversation, winning the appreciation of the king and queen, and also winning the heart of Princess Elizabeth.

Mrs. Simpson was the loser of the Balmoral Test. In September 1936, the then King Edward VIII had his lover, the widow Mrs. Simpson, hostess a royal banquet at Balmoral Castle as hostess. At the banquet, Mrs. Simpson was coldly treated and humiliated by the main members of the royal family, including the king's brother and wife. Although she failed Balmoral's "test", Mrs. Simpson won the hearts of Edward VIII, a king who gave up the throne after 3 months to marry her, leaving a legend of "not loving the country and loving the beauty".

The story of Princess Diana and Balmoral Castle is one of joy and sorrow. In the summer of 1980, at the age of 19, Diana came to Balmoral Castle as a guest. The youthful and cultured Diana won the affection of almost everyone and passed the "Balmoral Test", although it was only her third official date with Prince Charles. Later, Charles and Diana's honeymoon was also spent at Balmoral Castle. In 1997, Princess Diana, 36, died in a car accident. At the time, Queen Elizabeth was on holiday in Balmoral. Flowers from the Scottish people mourning Princess Diana filled the castle's doorway.

Brush the dishes with the "Iron Lady"

According to reports, Queen Elizabeth has invited a total of 13 British prime ministers to Balmoral Castle. Her first Prime Minister's guest was Churchill, an old man who accompanied the Queen's parents through World War II and was her elder. Many of the remaining prime ministers are "juniors" younger than the Queen. Among them, only the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher, and the Queen formed a friendship of the same age at Balmoral Castle.

In 1979, at the age of 54, Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Four months later, Margaret Thatcher was invited by the Queen, who was a year younger, to visit Balmoral Castle. At that time, some media commented that the prime minister, who was full of urban atmosphere from dress to style, could not adapt to the rural life of Balmoral Castle.

In fact, the two middle-aged women still get along very well. The Prime Minister accompanied the Queen on a walk on the country roads in the rain with an umbrella. After dinner, the Queen invited the Prime Minister to accompany her to brush the dishes, the Queen brushed them herself, and the Prime Minister was responsible for drying the washed dishes. Before leaving Balmoral, the Prime Minister presented the Queen with a pair of yellow rubber gloves for kitchen washing. The gloves helped the Iron Lady win the Queen's friendship, and the two became lifelong friends. (Zhang Jiwen)