On the rare occasions when the Queen drops her famous reserve, her husband the Duke of Edinburgh is never far away. The royal couple were photographed in fits of laughter together at the weekend as they attended the annual Braemar Gathering - Scotland's most famous Highland Games.It is one of the Queen's favourite engagements, during which she visibly relaxes with her family as they enjoy traditional events including caber tossing, Highland dancing and the tug of war.
Certainly the Aberdeenshire event seems to bring out the 85-year-old's playful side.Last year, she was captured in a series of touching images giggling alongside her eldest son Prince Charles.And there was another outbreak of laughter on Saturday as the monarch shared a joke with the Duke and Timothy Laurence, the husband of Princess Anne.
The royal party were joined by David Cameron and his wife Samantha, who was country casual in a Paul Smith trouser suit.The British Prime Minister is traditionally the guest of the Queen at Balmoral for one weekend in autumn every year.Mr Cameron was unable to attend in 2010 because he was on paternity leave for baby Florence, born three weeks earlier.