The Queen has already started her summer holidays by making her annual trip to her Scottish retreat of Balmoral.
But she won’t be alone for long – as she usually hosts various members of her family on the estate over the course of her break.
Set to be among them are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
But they don’t have to rely on the Queen putting them up in the main castle – that’s because they have the option of staying in their extremely private third home.
The home – called Tam-Na-Ghar cottage – was gifted to Prince William by his late great-grandmother the Queen Mother shortly before her death in 2002.
The three-bedroom cottage sits on the 50,000-acre Balmoral estate and is so private, that no photos are thought to exist of it.
According to Hello!, William and Kate have used the cottage as a retreat since the days when they were students at St Andrews University – also in Scotland.
And it has been reported that they told friends that some of their happiest times were there.
They stayed at the cottage in 2019 with their children with a source telling Vanity Fair at the time: “The Queen has a lot of guests coming and to ease the pressure the Cambridges are likely to stay at the cottage.
“That could have added benefits for everyone as it means more space in the castle.”
There are 150 buildings in total on the Balmoral estate, including the main house – Balmoral Castle – and Birkhall, which is owned by Prince Charles. William and Kate also have Kensington Palace in London and Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
However, some family members not expected at Balmoral this summer include Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children Archie and Lilibet.
It was earlier claimed that the Queen invited the US-based couple to Balmoral this summer, in a move seen as an extended olive branch.
But multiple sources have since said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be going to visit Harry’s grandmother – and that they were not invited.
