Summer Holidays at Balmoral: 2023 -


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Today, September 3, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and husband Tim attended Sunday church service at Crathie Church, Balmoral, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murthy:


** gettyimages gallery ** dailymail article **
 
Why would they take the non-christian PM to a church service?
 
Why would they take the non-christian PM to a church service?

Who said that he was "invited"? Maybe the Sunaks wanted to attend the service. Or perhaps it's always been a standing/open invitation for the PM & spouse to attend the services if they're visiting Balmoral and Sunak went along because he just didn't think it was a big deal?
 
The family followed basic common courtesy and invited a house guest to go to church with them, if he wanted to. He clearly did and accepted. If he hadn't I'm sure no would have been offended or put out in the slightest. A lot of religions allow, or indeed actively encourage, non believers or those of other religions to visit their places of worship and partake in services to a certain extent.
 
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Controversial!!

Or inclusive.

Some religions actively discourage followers from going to other services or houses of worship, but Sunak and Ms. Murthy don't appear to have that problem. So there is no issue.
 
I think the reasoning is probably right there in the lede of the article: “Prime Minster Rishi Sunak joined royals at a church service in Balmoral this morning, as the nation prepares to mark a year since the Queen died.”

If he’s at Balmoral anyway, accompanying the family to church as a mark of respect to the late Queen and the current King seems appropriate. Leaders often appear at gatherings for religions and cultures other than their own. The King certainly does.
 
The PM was happy to read a lesson from the bible at the Kings coronation so I am not surprised he is happy to sit through a Sunday church service.
 
Why would they take the non-christian PM to a church service?

He was a house guest and invited. And clearly accepted.

If he felt uncomfortable there would have been no pressure to go. While some religions restrict their followers from entering a church of another faith, Hindus do not seem to follow such a practice.
 
King Charles and Queen Camilla attended Sunday Church service at Crathie Kirk Church in Balmoral today:


** dailymail article **
 
King Charles and Queen Camilla attended Sunday Church service at Crathie Kirk Church in Balmoral again today, October 8:


** dailymail article **
 
Their ”summer” stay in Balmoral is extending to ridiculous proportions. Her Late Majesty was always back in London by now.
 
Yes it does seem to be dragging on

They are obviously still working. They were in France. Queen usually didn’t work at all these times. Does it matter where they are living? They are working and have no need to return to anywhere as they are well past age of children at school. I mean Charles is proving a peripatetic monarch anyway. Never know where he is laying his head.
 
Their ”summer” stay in Balmoral is extending to ridiculous proportions. Her Late Majesty was always back in London by now.

No she wasn't. She returned after the second Sunday in October. She went up late July and returned mid-October and did virtually no engagements while there, unlike Charles who has been doing duties most weeks while up there amongst the local people.

Why should they also spend time in Scotland, which is, afterall a major part of the UK?
 
Their ”summer” stay in Balmoral is extending to ridiculous proportions. Her Late Majesty was always back in London by now.
Yes it does seem to be dragging on
HM kept her time at Balmoral mostly private, but it was customary to entertain the current PM and their partner for a minimum of a weekend, many other guests were entertained for the "country" as well. The tail end of her stay was always the same, alone in a time of personal reflection on the anniversary of the death of her father and her subsequent ascension to the throne, in the words of today I would say she used it to keep herself centred.

Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla have spent their time in Scotland alternately "holidaying" and carrying out all those official duties that HLM did during the summer. However, they have taken it further and seemed to have involved themselves in a more personal way with their Scottish subjects. There have been many occasions with them out and about meeting everyman in the streets, at fairs and games which is something that HLM actually never did unless their was an "official" event.
 
HM kept her time at Balmoral mostly private, but it was customary to entertain the current PM and their partner for a minimum of a weekend, many other guests were entertained for the "country" as well. The tail end of her stay was always the same, alone in a time of personal reflection on the anniversary of the death of her father and her subsequent ascension to the throne, in the words of today I would say she used it to keep herself centred.

Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla have spent their time in Scotland alternately "holidaying" and carrying out all those official duties that HLM did during the summer. However, they have taken it further and seemed to have involved themselves in a more personal way with their Scottish subjects. There have been many occasions with them out and about meeting everyman in the streets, at fairs and games which is something that HLM actually never did unless their was an "official" event.

The bolded part applied to Sandringham not Balmoral. George VI died at Sandringham on 6th February. The late Queen went to Balmoral from late July to mid-October.

Elizabeth II would have the PM and First Minister of Scotland to stay for a weekend and largely did no other official duties (red boxes don't count) while at Balmoral. When we saw her e.g. Braemar and going to church she wasn't doing those events as an 'official' event. Charles decided that Braemar would be in the CC this year whereas the late Queen stopped recording it official in the mid-70s if memory serves from my reading of the CC.

I just did a quick count (up to 6th September as that is as far as I have gone so far) Charles has done over 30 engagements in Scotland since he went up in July. The Queen rarely did more than a couple - the audiences with the visiting PM and First Minister were the exceptions.
 
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King Charles and Queen Camilla attended Sunday Church service at Crathie Kirk Church in Balmoral again today, October 8:

I was wondering if they were still in Scotland!
 
It is a new reign and probably a new way of working. Scotland is part of the UK and I like the idea that the King should base himself here for part of the year.
 
I agree it is good to show the monarch need not spent all their time in the south of the country, indeed in the south of England, for the majority of the time. That said, I bet the airmiles between Aberdeen and London are racking up!
 
I agree it is good to show the monarch need not spent all their time in the south of the country, indeed in the south of England, for the majority of the time. That said, I bet the airmiles between Aberdeen and London are racking up!

Fair point with regards the Air Miles
 
Does CIII still have homes in Northern Ireland and in Wales? Perhaps a few weeks here and there would not go amiss - air miles be damned!
 
I shall throw my support behind the extended stay in Scotland. I am very glad the current King shares his late mothers love for the Scottish kingdom and appreciate the extra time and commitments there.
 
Hillsborough Castle is still used by the sovereign or royals for official duties in Northern Ireland (it is now managed by Historic Royal Palaces so I guess they wouldn't be too happy if they had to close for weeks for Charles to holiday there).

Charles used a residence in Wales that was owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, apparently he no longer has use of it, and William won't so it will be rented out publicly. For official receptions etc Cardiff Castle is used but I don' think it is used for overnight stays.

I actually quite like the idea of them doing things like receptions or investitures in different places - they use to do investitures at Cardiff Castle and I think one or two at Hillsborough but now it all seems very much to be based at Windsor and BP. It would be quite nice to see at least one or two at each Hillsborough, Holyrood and Cardiff Castle.
 
I agree it is good to show the monarch need not spent all their time in the south of the country, indeed in the south of England, for the majority of the time. That said, I bet the airmiles between Aberdeen and London are racking up!

Don't they still have the Royal Train?
 
They do, but unlike some other royal trains it is used only as a full train on its own, not a carriage or two attached to existing services. So it becomes quite expensive, probably more expensive than a jet there and back.
 
Yes, according to Wikipedia the train is expensive and doesn't get used often. It's usually used when a royal has a very busy schedule and wants an easy mode of transportation and a place where work can be done and meetings carried out.
 
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