The “Royal Week”, for which the Queen travels to Scotland every summer, had to be canceled last year due to corona. This year the trip will take place again – with a reduced program.
Edinburgh – To celebrate Scottish traditions and culture, Queen Elizabeth II (95) is traveling to the northernmost part of Britain today.
In the Scottish capital Edinburgh, the Queen will live in her official residence, the Holyrood Palace, during the so-called Royal Week. It is the monarch’s first long trip since the beginning of the corona pandemic, which she has spent almost continuously at Windsor Castle near London. The trip is planned until July 1st. The Queen will be accompanied by her grandson Prince William (39) today and by her daughter Princess Anne (70) on Wednesday and Thursday.
The exact program was not made public in order to avoid crowds in the pandemic. It was only announced that the Queen is visiting the largest city of Glasgow as well as Edinburgh, as well as Stirling, which is known for its castle and well-preserved old town as well as its university. She wants to visit companies, charities and cultural institutions there. Because of the trip, the Queen missed the inauguration of a statue of her ex-daughter-in-law Princess Diana, who died in 1997 in London, on July 1st.
Holyrood Week takes place annually
The “Royal Week”, outside of Scotland also known as “Holyrood Week”, is an integral part of the British head of state’s calendar and always takes place between the end of June and the beginning of July. Normally during this time the Queen pays tribute to several thousand people at a reception in the Holyrood Palace for their commitment to society and also visits other regions of the country. Due to the pandemic, the program will be significantly reduced, and the visit was canceled in 2020 due to the corona crisis.
The palace emphasized in advance: “Her Majesty is connected to Scotland through ancestry and deep affection.” The Queen not only spent numerous summers at her residence at Balmoral Castle in the Highlands, but also visited almost every Scottish region – from the Outer Hebrides, one Chain of islands in the Atlantic to Dumfries on the border with England in the south – and met Scots from all walks of life. The palace also tweeted two photos of the Queen in Scotland: one as a little girl and one with her husband, Prince Philip, who has since died. dpa
