The Queen's lifelong love of countryside – where she was free to be simply 'Elizabeth'

To mark the completion of the private burial service on Monday, Buckingham Palace released a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II walking in the Scottish hills.

This final touch served as a reminder that the late Queen was, at heart, a countrywoman.

The previously unseen photo was a touching tribute to Elizabeth Windsor, the private individual, rather than the monarch.

As monarch, Elizabeth R, was an untouchable symbol, whose existence from the coronation to her state funeral was bound up in ceremony and ornate rituals.

The state funeral was a day of great pomp and circumstance, that actually contained very little reference to who the late Queen was in private.

While later in the day the Royal Family had the chance to privately grieve together at the burial service in King George VI Memorial Chapel, for the most part the day was shared with the public.

That the final public tribute of the day honoured the late Queen's private self was perfectly appropriate.

Whilst spending time in the countryside, she was free to be simply Elizabeth. Particularly at Balmoral, she was able to enjoy a normal (albeit very privileged) family life and make the most of the privacy afforded to her by the vast, rolling hills.

Here, we look back at the late Queen's countryside life and explore why it might provide King Charles with the same safe haven.

Balmoral – the royal retreat

It has long been reported that Balmoral was one of the late Queen's favourite places to spend her time.

Annually, the Royal Family retreat away from public life to the idyll of Balmoral for an extended summer holiday. The imposing, gothic-revival style castle was first built by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, who bought the estate in 1852.

It is privately owned by the monarch, unlike the taxpayer-funded properties in the official Crown Estate.

While they are there, the Royal Family undertake minimal official engagements. Instead, they enjoy what Princess Eugenie has called "the most beautiful place on earth".

From BBQs and picnics to hiking, shooting and fishing, the great outdoors and stunning setting of the Cairngorms National Park seems to provide most of the entertainment.

Eugenie provided further insight into what the relaxed summer retreats entail during a documentary celebrating Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday.

She said: "I think Grannie is most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands."

Eugenie described that while the Queen spent her holiday there were, "people coming in and out all the time", and added that: "it's a lovely base for Grannie and Grandpa, for us to come up and see them there, where you just have room to breathe and run."

Countryside pursuits

The late Queen was well known to love traditional countryside pursuits like horse-riding, and walking with her dogs. She was said to have enjoyed a life of relative normalcy in the countryside, particularly at Balmoral.

Former prime minister Tony Blair is reported to have said the Queen and her family even did their own washing up while in Balmoral.

She was reportedly often spotted by locals exploring the estate, while of course donning one of her favoured headscarves.

At the state funeral, as the coffin was processed up the Long Walk in Windsor to the committal service, the Queen's pony Emma stood waiting amongst the floral tributes.

Upon her saddle one was draped of the Queen's favourite headscarves, as a nod to the iconic look so long associated with the late monarch.

Scottish ties

The Queen also had ties to Scotland through her mother, whose father was the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

The Queen Mother spent much of her childhood in Scotland at Glamis Castle, and later in her life purchased and renovated the Castle of Mey.

Located in Caithness and enjoying the views of the northern-most coast of Scotland, the Queen Mother also spent several weeks in the summer at her Scottish home.

The late Queen's love of Scotland and its culture was well documented. It is said that she had a love of bagpipe music in particular since childhood.

As monarch, a bagpiper played beneath her window each morning for 15 minutes.

Bagpipes also played a significant role in the state funeral, helping tie together the small threads throughout the day that helped serve as reminders of the private life of the Queen.

The Queen's Piper, Major Paul Burns, performed Sleep, dearie, sleep as the Westminster Abbey Service ended. The Sovereign's Piper was first created as a position by Queen Victoria, with 17 pipers taking on the prestigious role since then. He also performed as the Queen's coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault at the end of the committal service.

The traditional laments played by Major Burns were not the only moving pieces of music provided by Pipers. As the procession approached Windsor Castle, the Massed Pipes and Drums of the Scottish and Irish Regiments played Skye Boat Song as mourners watched them pass by.

King Charles

It has been reported that King Charles has travelled to Balmoral to mourn his mother privately. Charles has his own much loved home on the Balmoral estate, called Birkhall.

The King revealed when guest editing Country Life magazine in 2018 that the red squirrels found in the area are one of his favourite things about the home. In the same edition of the magazine, his son William described how "completely infatuated" Charles is with "the red squirrels that live around the estate in Scotland – to the extent that he has given them names and is allowing them into the house."

It seems that the Balmoral estate will be just as special a retreat for the new King as it was for his late mother.

The Royal Family are still in a mourning period that will last for seven days after the state funeral. During this time, it is understood that they will not undertake any official engagements.