Balmoral was home where beloved late Queen could be a normal person and not in a goldfish bowl

ONCE I asked the late Queen why she always went to Balmoral for her holidays.

She replied: “Where else could I go?” And I said: “You’re the Queen, Ma’am, you can go anywhere.”

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Queen Elizabeth with Philip and their children at Balmoral Castle[/caption]

PA

For £150 the British public can see why Queen Elizabeth loved Balmoral[/caption]

She thought for a moment and then said: “Yes, but I quite like it there.”

Later, a lady-in-waiting told me: “When the Queen drives through the gates of Balmoral, she kicks her shoes off with delight.”

It was here, among the mountains, that for three months each summer she could be a normal person and not in a goldfish bowl.

Now for £150 the British public can see why Queen Elizabeth loved Balmoral.

I’m sure visitors will think the entrance fee is exorbitant.

But it’s the first time these rooms will have been opened to the public.

I’ve been in the ballroom where you can imagine the Queen and Philip dancing at the annual Ghillies’ Ball.

You’ll get to see the Queen’s private sitting room where she said farewell to Boris Johnson and met her last Prime Minister Liz Truss before her death.

Even if you don’t go inside, for £17.50 you can stroll through the impressive gardens where the Queen used to walk her corgis every day.