The Queen was in excellent spirits on Saturday with The Duke of Edinburgh back by her side at the Braemar Gathering in Scotland.The 87-year-old monarch was seen cheerfully smiling and laughing as she sat between her son Prince Charles, 64, and her husband Prince Philip, 92, who has been recovering from abdominal surgery.The Queen is patron of the Braemar Gathering and is often pictured at her most animated when she attends the annual event. Her appearance this year was no doubt made all the more enjoyable with her husband well again after his recent health scare.
Dressed in a light pink outfit, complete with an elegant matching hat, the sovereign protected herself from the cold with a red tartan blanket. Likewise her husband and son kept in with tradition and wore tartan kilts for the occasion.
Prince Charles, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, laughed with his mother as they leafed through the programme of entertaining events, which include traditional games such as the tossing of the caber, the tug of war and a children's sack race.
The Queen's happy demeanor showed that she was unfazed by Monday's incident at Buckingham Palace that saw a man arrested for burglary after he was discovered in one of the state rooms.Queen Elizabeth II travelled alone to her summer retreat at Balmoral in June as the Duke of Edinburgh was not well enough to make the journey while he was recovering from invasive surgery at Sandringham.
It is believed that now he is in Scotland the Duke will finally meet his new great-grandson Prince George who was born in London on 22 July.
Prince Philip's illness also forced him to miss the Trooping of the Colour in July and the Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent, took his place in the ceremony. After the event the Queen rushed to visit her husband of 65 years at his London hospital.