Queen Elizabeth had a sweet habit she did for years as she arrived at her home of Balmoral.
The monarch passed away at her Scottish home last week at the age of 96. Her son, now King Charles III, and her daughter Princess Anne were thought to be by her side at the time, whilst Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William and Prince Harry all rushed to be with the family on the estate in Aberdeenshire following the monarch's sad passing.
Today, Royal photographer Arthur Edwards spoke on This Morning to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield about working closely with the Queen, and recalled a particular conversation the pair of them shared during a trip to India in 1997. He shared her love of Balmoral, and how she always did one thing when she headed through the gates of the Scottish estate.
Speaking on a special edition of the ITV show, he said: "I will always remember in 1997, just after Diana died, and we were in India and we went to a reception with the Queen and I said to her, why do you go to Balmoral every year for your holiday?
"And she said, well where could I go? And I said, well you're the Queen, you can go anywhere. And she said, But I quite like it there and walked away smiling. And then the Lady in Waiting came back and said we're all laughing about your question to the Queen."
He then went to explain how the Lady in Waiting told him of the sweet habit the Queen did every time she entered Balmoral.
"She said, because when the Queen starts her holiday from Balmoral, as she drives through those gates, she kicks her shoes off in delight and is happy to be on holiday," he recalled of their conversation, and revealed the Queen's special habit.
Balmoral has always been a special place for the Queen, with her granddaughter Princess Eugenie having previously spoken out about how much that home meant to the Queen and how she enjoyed all her time spent there.
She said: "It's the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny is the most happy there, I think she really, really loves the Highlands. Walks, picnics, dogs – a lot of dogs, there's always dogs! And people coming in and out all the time."
The Balmoral Estate has been a home of the Royal Family since it was purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852.
