The Queen has been in Balmoral since the beginning of last week, having headed to her beloved Scottish residence with husband Prince Philip for the summer. But on Sunday, the monarch missed the weekly Sunday service at the nearby Crathie Kirk, where she goes to worship every week while staying there. This was because Her Majesty wanted to avoid encouraging crowds gathering during the coronavirus pandemic. Other sensible measures had been put in place prior to the Queen and Philip's arrival. This has included their staff isolating for two weeks to minimise health risks.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen missed her Sunday church service to avoid encouraging crowds
The royal couple arrived in Scotland on Tuesday, and were pictured taking a private flight to Aberdeenshire from RAF Northolt, west London. The Queen and Philip had been isolating at Windsor Castle prior to leaving for Scotland, where the monarch had continued to carry out her royal duties remotely.
These have included taking her weekly audiences with Prime Minister Boris Johnson by telephone instead of in person, and taking part in Zoom calls.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen and Prince Philip are staying in Balmoral for the summer
The royal couple also got to attend their granddaughter Princess Beatrice's royal wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July. The proud grandparents were pictured with the newlyweds in one of the official pictures released to mark the special day.
Balmoral is where the monarch and her family can truly relax and be themselves and Scotland is considered to be one of the Queen's favourite places on Earth. She and Philip even spent part of their honeymoon at Birkhall hunting lodge, located on the estate, in 1947.
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Prior to the pandemic, members of the royal family would go and visit the Queen and Philip while they were staying in Scotland each week, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Her granddaughter Princess Eugenie previously gave an insight into Balmoral, revealing: "It's the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands."
Speaking on ITV's Our Queen At Ninety, she added: "Walks, picnics, dogs – a lot of dogs, there's always dogs – and people coming in and out all the time. It's a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa, for us to come and see them up there; where you just have room to breathe and run."
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