Members of the Royal Family – including Prince Charles and Lady Louise Windsor – attended a traditional church service this morning in the village of Aberdeenshire, close to the Balmoral Estate.
The heir to the throne, 73, was spotted driving himself to a church service in Crathie Kirk, with his youngest brother Prince Edward, 58, and daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 18, enjoying a ride with Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Tim Laurence.
The Queen would not have attended the service.
Lady Louise, dressed in a cerise floral dress, appeared to be enjoying a break from her summer job at a garden center near Windsor, earning £6.83 an hour helping out the till, greeting customers, pruning and potting plants.
Charles, who was traveling without the Duchess of Cornwall, seemed in good spirits as he made the short drive to the nearby village church.
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Prince Charles, 73, drove himself to church Sunday morning at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral; the heir to the throne is a regular visitor to Balmoral, while the queen, 96, enjoys her annual summer stay there, despite ongoing mobility issues
Lady Louise, 18, dressed in a pretty cerise floral dress, smiled from the back seat as she joined her father and Sir Tim Laurence on their way to church
In a separate car, Prince Edward, which was driven by Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Tim Laurence, traveled in a royal Range Rover
It is customary for the royals to attend the service if they are in residence north of the border.
Crathie Kirk is next to Balmoral Castle, just on the edge of the royal estate, and the Queen has regularly attended services on her annual holiday to Scotland over the decades.
Charles and Camilla also have a house, Birkhall, on the Balmoral Estate and have spent the past few weeks with the monarch.
The Prince is a regular visitor to Balmoral, while the Queen, 96, enjoys her annual summer stay at the Scottish estate, despite her ongoing mobility issues.
It was announced last week that the Queen has received ‘unusual’ daily morning visits from the Prince of Wales in Balmoral, amid reports of her ill health continuing.
Royal experts say unscheduled visits between Prince Charles and his mother are uncommon and are usually arranged by domestic workers.
Her Majesty is not expected to travel to London next month to appoint a new Prime Minister, with the likelihood that Boris Johnson and his successor will instead make the 1,000-mile journey to the Scottish estate, The sun reports.
The Queen’s advisers are reportedly concerned about her comfort during the Prime Minister’s next 48-hour visit, after more than a year of mobility issues.
Traditionally, the Queen receives a public welcome on her arrival in Balmoral, but this has been moved behind doors.
The Prince, without the Duchess of Cornwall, seemed in good spirits as he made the short car journey to the nearby village church
Prince Edward joined Sir Tim Laurence for Sunday morning service, which the royals attend when in residence north of the border
The Queen (pictured) has received ‘unusual’ daily morning visits from the Prince of Wales as reports of her mobility problems persist
The Queen has also been absent from her regular Sunday church services, though she plans to watch the annual Braemar games next weekend.
Prince Andrew, 62, is also in Balmoral and is said to have talks with his mother about his future.
Ingrid Seward of Majesty Magazine said: ‘It is highly unusual for Prince Charles to make these spontaneous visits to see his mother.
“Everyone thinks they normally see each other all the time, but that’s not true.
“A lot of times they blame the geography because everyone is scattered all over the country.”
The Queen is not expected to travel to London next month to appoint a new prime minister, with the chance that Boris Johnson’s successor will instead make the 1,000-mile journey to Balmoral (pictured)
The Queen was last seen publicly disembarking from a plane at Aberdeen airport on July 21.
Buckingham Palace has not responded to reports that The Queen will host her current and next prime minister for the kiss of the hands ceremony in Balmoral on September 6.
A decision on the arrangements is expected to be announced by the middle of next week.
Boris Johnson and both candidates for the next Tory leader have indicated that they are eager to make the journey.
It would be the first time in her 70-year reign that the Queen has had a departing or newly appointed prime minister move away from Buckingham Palace.
But it is known that earlier monarchs did.
The Queen is expected to appoint the next Prime Minister in Balmoral instead of Buckingham Palace
Queen Victoria regularly asked her Prime Ministers to visit her in Balmoral and in 1908 Child Edward VII requested Herbert Asquith to travel to Biarritz, South West France, for his appointment.
A source told The Sun: “The Queen has now been advised not to travel.
“But obviously nobody tells the Queen what to do and in the end it’s her decision, and as we saw when she appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the third time at the Jubilee, she likes surprises.
“There are some parts of her role that Prince Charles can do on her behalf, but the Queen is adamant that she nominate the Prime Minister.
“It may not be the best choice to have the Queen travel 1,000 miles round trip for a 48-hour visit, while the Prime Ministers can easily get to Balmoral instead.”
The last Prime Minister to kiss the monarch’s hand outside Buckingham Palace was Winston Churchill, who kissed the newly appointed Queen’s hand at Heathrow Airport in 1952 as she returned from Africa after the death of her father, King George VI.
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The Queen usually doesn’t return from her holiday in Balmoral until early October, but sources had said she had told her aides she will make an exception this year and travel to London.
The appointment of prime minister is one of the Queen’s few personal prerogatives and, sources said, a duty she wanted to personally fulfill.
It is the latest change in plans due to health concerns for Her Majesty as she continues to deal with mobility issues.
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the Queen had “cancelled her traditional welcome to Balmoral” and hosted a small private event instead.
Sources indicated the change was “a sign of things to come” amid Her Majesty’s episodic mobility issues.
On September 6, Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss is expected to travel to Balmoral as the new Prime Minister
But Buckingham Palace downplayed concerns about her health, saying instead that the private event was “in line with adjusting Her Majesty’s schedule for her comfort.”
Balmoral is considered a favorite residence of Her Majesty, who welcomes her family to the castle during the summer months.
She has been staying at Craigowan Lodge since she left Windsor Castle for Scotland on 21 July.
It comes after a truckload of furniture was pictured outside Balmoral on Saturday after bringing furniture from Windsor.
Balmoral has undergone a number of adjustments in recent years, including last year that Craigowan Lodge was fitted with a wheelchair accessible lift.
A new security gate, state-of-the-art intercom system and a range of new CCTV cameras were also installed.