The late Queen had a heartwarming relationship with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and little Prince Louis – and they have a unique way of keeping their great-grandmother’s memory alive following her passing in September 2022.
Tucked away on King Charles’ Scottish estate, Birkhall, is a heather-thatched Wendy house initially built for then-Princesses Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. This charming playhouse is now a favourite spot for William and Kate’s three children.
It boasts a wooden exterior and a rounded roof with a small turret at the top. A quaint pale green picket fence separates the surrounding woodland from the manicured lawns leading up to the house.
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The young Elizabeth and Margaret spent many joyful holidays here until their father became King, and the Royal family began to occupy neighbouring Balmoral. Later, Princess Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and their children would stay at Birkhall during the late summer months.
(Image: PA)
After George VI’s death in 1952, the Queen Mother resumed using Birkhall as a summer residence. She expanded the house and transformed the gardens, reports the Mirror.
Following her death in 2002, Birkhall was passed down to her grandson, Charles.
The residence holds a special place in his heart, so much so that he and Camilla chose it as their honeymoon spot back in 2005. It also served as their sanctuary in March 2020 when Charles tested positive for Covid.
Speaking about the garden, Charles once told Alan Titchmarsh: “It is such a special place, particularly because it was made by my grandmother. It is a childhood garden, and all I’ve done, really, is enhance it a bit.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla previously offered an unprecedented glimpse into its grounds in the BBC documentary King Charles III: The Coronation Year. The Royal pair were seen strolling around the vast 52,000-acre Birkhall estate in Scotland with their Jack Russell Terrier, Beth.
At the centre of the garden lies the River Muick, complete with a wire bridge crossing the waters. “Every child when they come here rush there and bounce about on the bridge for hours.”
Country Life magazine has praised the garden at Birkhall, stating it “demonstrates to perfection” the King’s “beliefs, his love of gardens, of wildlife and the countryside and, equally important, of Scotland”. “It is a treasured family sanctuary that’s replete with fond memories, but it’s also a stepping stone for future generations of Royal children-and grandchildren – who will come to love and cherish it as much as its current custodian.”
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