Achieving a great work/life balance is something so many of us strive for, but this was probably easier said than done for the late Queen. From the moment she was born she was making front pages and when she ascended the throne, she had a dizzying amount of responsibilities.
According to artist Chris Levine, Queen Elizabeth found her own form of "meditation" that she came back to regularly as she negotiated life as monarch. Speaking to woman&home in our February issue, Chris revealed that he discussed meditation with Her Majesty during a sitting for his iconic 2004 portrait, Equanimity.
"She said she was going to Balmoral the next day and really looking forward to it, and that was her meditation, gardening there," he shared.
Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire is one of only two royal residences privately owned by the monarch and Princess Eugenie once said her granny was "most happy" there. Queen Elizabeth’s description of gardening at Balmoral being her "meditation" suggests she could enjoy the peace and privacy and escape the pressures of royal life.
Although some pictures were taken of Her Majesty at Balmoral over the years, they were usually for specific reasons and posed. The rest of the time she was free from cameras and could garden to her heart’s content when the demands of her job didn’t require her attention.
Queen Elizabeth would return to Balmoral each summer and invite her loved ones to join her, forging plenty of happy family memories of barbecues and walks.
This trip was also one of the only extended breaks from public appearances she had every year and Chris’ revelation suggests it was hugely important for her. The artist told woman&home how this made him realise there was a "real down-to-earth side of her".
The public was used to seeing her in vibrant coats and hats at engagements and events, but behind the scenes, the Queen was just as at home pottering in the garden. She dressed more casually in headscarves and practical jackets at Balmoral and although we never got a picture of her gardening, Chris had the honour of capturing another portrait of her in 2008, Lightness of Being, in which she has her eyes closed.
"I think there’s a spiritual dimension to that work and I think that’s what connects with people, regardless of what you think about the monarchy or whether you’re a royalist," he explained. "There’s a kind of human soulful connection that touches people."
Though it’s hard to imagine Queen Elizabeth gardening, perhaps we shouldn’t be all that surprised that she considered time outside her "meditation". This is a common thing for the royals, with the Princess of Wales describing nature as a "sanctuary" for her and her family during her cancer journey and her "happy place".
Earlier this year her 44th birthday post was focused on the healing power of nature and King Charles has spoken out in his new Amazon Prime Video documentary, Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, about how he thinks it’s "essential" to feel connected to it.
"I’ve always loved the countryside, I’ve always adored being outside all the time and as I got older I took more and more interest. I loved going out and exploring, so for me it’s an essential part of life to have that connection with the world outside," he declared.
