How King Charles’s time at Balmoral will differ to the late Queen’s

King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla are currently enjoying their summer break in Scotland, where the monarch will also mark the first anniversary of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The royal couple were already spotted at Balmoral during a church service last Sunday at Crathie Kirk.

The King and Queen are said to be staying at Birkhall, with the family set to join them in the coming days.

And according to a royal expert, the monarch won't stray much from his own tradition of staying at the Scottish-based residence.

Royal expert Marlene Koenig told Express.co.uk that she expects King Charles to spend time at Balmoral with the Queen because he's "fond of Scotland".

She said: "The King does prefer Birkhall, which was a gift from the late Queen Mother, but he will definitely spend time at Balmoral.

"It’s already been reported that the King will spend less time than his mother at Balmoral.

"But it should be noted that he has not always spent the same amount of time in Balmoral, that his mother did.

"He also enjoys being at Dumfries house, which was where he received the phone call to say that his mother's condition had changed and he needed to come to Balmoral."

She also speculated that as the King is unlikely to spend as much time in Balmoral as his late mother, the estate could be open to the public more often.

"I won’t be surprised if at some time the King announces that Balmoral will have longer opening times," she said.

And while Balmoral has offered Charles and his family a place for normality, as well as solitude, the expert said it will now be a place for work.

She said: "It’s a place to relax, and recharge, but now for Charles, it will also be where he continues the weekly meetings with the Prime Minister, going through the red boxes, as well as enjoying the pursuits of nature.

"It’ll be a time where he gets to spend with his grandchildren. It’ll be a time where family snaps are taken and not be published until perhaps someone dies, as was the case with Philip and Elizabeth."

The expert said that whilst September 8 marks the day he acceded to the throne, for Charles it is the day his mother died.

He said: "Just as his mother always spent February 6 at Sandringham where her father died, Charles will be at Balmoral, most likely out of public view, spending the day quietly, and I would assume reflectively."

And she added that as the King is a person of "great faith" like the late Queen he will most likely be joined by other members of his immediate family, including his siblings, who are all still mourning the death of their mother.

"It was difficult for them to grieve in public because they were sharing their grief with the grief of the people of the United Kingdom, who lost their sovereign, but Charles and his siblings lost their mother."