The King has officially started his Balmoral holiday with a ceremonial welcome outside the castle.
Charles has carried on with the tradition of his late mother by holding a ceremony to mark his official stay in residence at the Scottish Highlands estate.
Dressed in his traditional kilt, the monarch inspected a Guard of Honour formed by the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Troops also played the pipes and drums at the ceremony, with the regiment's mascot - a tiny Shetland pony called Corporal Cruachan IV - also there.
Family Visits Expected
During his stay at Balmoral for the rest of the summer, the King is expected to welcome up to 30 family members, who travel to Scotland to spend time with him at the estate.
Among them are the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. However, one family member not expected to travel to Balmoral this year is the King’s shamed brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after claims by friends of the ex-prince that he was offered the chance of a holiday there but turned it down.
A pal of the former Duke of York alleges he rejected the invitation as he feared he would be treated like an ‘outcast’ if he travelled there.
It is believed that his older brother Charles, who stripped Mr Mountbatten-Windsor of his royal titles and booted him out of his Royal Lodge mansion, has not seen him this year, despite the two only being a mile apart when the monarch stays at Sandringham.
Andrew's Isolation
It is thought only Prince Edward has seen him since he was arrested on his 66th birthday and moved to Marsh Farm, following new claims about his association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. He was last seen publicly with members of the Firm at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent last September. He denies all wrongdoing.
A friend of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's told The Sun: "Andrew feels he’s been abandoned. He feels like he is no longer part of the family."
"He was invited but has got no great desire to be at Balmoral as he has nothing to gain and would be treated as an outcast. What’s the point, he feels, of going all the way there for a much-needed holiday and being treated as an elephant in the room?"
King's Scottish Stay
It comes as the King has been in Scotland for several weeks already this month, enjoying his annual stay at the Castle of Mey, once beloved by his grandmother, the Queen Mother.
During his time there, he has also attended the Castle of Mey Games, met the Assynt Mountain Rescue team, visited the communities of Halkirk and Castletown, and opened a distillery housed in a restored former mill building.
Meanwhile, during today’s ceremony, the King also welcomed the first two members of the Balmoral Highlander, which Charles has revived following their disbandment in 1936 under George V. Both the new Highlanders are employees of the Balmoral Estate and will also take part in the Braemar Gathering in September.
In keeping with tradition, each Highlander carries a ceremonial Lochaber Axe and wears a Highland uniform which takes inspiration from the original uniform worn in the late 1800s.
The kilt and plaid are made from the Balmoral Glen Gelder tartan which was designed by The Scottish Tartans Authority at the request of the King.
The Mirror has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
