The crowd of well-wishers at Balmoral broke out into a round of applause as the royal family waved to them.
Three of the Queen’s four children – the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and Earl of Wessex – joined the Countess of Wessex, Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Queen’s grandchildren Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor for a walkabout after attending a prayer service at Crathie Kirk.
The family spent just under 10 minutes intently reading the tributes and admiring the flowers before they returned inside Balmoral Castle.
Members of the royal family were seen nodding to members of the public as they walked up to Balmoral towards the gates.
The family stopped to look at the flowers and read tributes, while Princess Eugenie was seen laying a bunch of flowers with the rest of the tributes.
The Earl of Wessex, accompanied by his wife who was holding hands with their daughter Lady Louise, thanked well-wishers lining the route back to Balmoral Castle.
Hearing one group had come from Glasgow to show their support, he said: “Thank you very much for coming all that way, we appreciate it.”
The Duke of York at one moment was seen putting his arm around his daughter, Princess Eugenie, as she wiped a tear from her eyes.
The Duke of York spoke to well-wishers as he walked past crowds outside Balmoral to see floral tributes left in his mother’s memory.
He said “thank you for coming” as he was greeted by members of the public.
The Duke of York thanked people for visiting Balmoral after the death of his mother the Queen, saying: “We’ve been allowed one day, now we start the process of handing her on.”
The Duke of York, flanked by his daughters Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, thanked well-wishers for lining the route back to Balmoral after the royal family attended a prayer service for the Queen.
Asked by a mourner how things were, Andrew said: “We’ve been allowed one day, now we start the process of handing her on.”
He added: “It’s nice to see you, thank you for coming.”
