Scotland has remained a special place for the Queen throughout her 90 years, home to key events, regular visits and – of course – family holidays.
Just last year the Queen and Prince Philip marked the day she became the UK’s longest-reigning monarch with a steam train ride from Edinburgh for the opening of the new Borders Railway.
The crowds that gathered to greet her in Waverley Station and at stops along the way to Tweedbank showed the mutual affection.
During her reign, the Queen has visited almost every part of Scotland, launching ships and opening important developments such as the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
One of her first official tasks on becoming Queen after the death of her father King George VI was to plant a cherry tree at the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, the parish church for the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
After her Coronation – the first to be televised live – crowds lined the streets of the Scottish capital as the Queen received the Honours of Scotland – the Scottish crown, sceptre and sword of state.
As head of the Commonwealth, she attended the Glasgow 2014 Games opening ceremony before she led the rest of her family in a series of visits to venues during the event.
Ahhh The Queen photo-bombed our selfie!! ? ? #royalty #sheevensmiled #amazing #Glasgow2014 @Hockeyroos @AusComGames pic.twitter.com/ZMtHYFUqHk
— Jayde Taylor (@_JaydeTaylor) July 24, 2014
In one trip to Glasgow National Hockey Centre, the Queen “went viral” after appearing to “photobomb” a selfie by Australian player Jayde Taylor by smiling in the background.
Another memorable visit in Glasgow 15 years earlier saw the Queen sit for tea in a council house in the Castlemilk area.
As part of a drive to modernise the royal family, the Queen met Susan McCarron in her two-bedroom bungalow.
They discussed the area and Ms McCarron’s health over a cup of Tetley tea.
Ms McCarron later said: “I wasn’t nervous at all.
“She was asking about the house and how long I lived here, where I lived before, how I felt about the house and things like that. I found her very easy to talk to and she was very nice.”
Despite popular garden parties at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in central Edinburgh, the Queen’s favoured residence remains the rural Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire.
Queen Victoria described Balmoral as her “heaven on earth” when it was redeveloped in the 1850s and the current Queen is said to be “never happier” than when spending her summer break at the north-east estate, her private home which was handed down through generations of royals.
The usual two-month stay in August and September traditionally includes a visit to the nearby Braemar Gathering where the Queen is Chieftain of the Highland games event.
Crathie Kirk is also regularly visited during Balmoral stays and the small church memorably became a focus of the Scottish independence debate days before the 2014 poll when the Queen reportedly told people outside a Sunday service to “think very carefully about the future” before casting their vote.
Prime ministers and first ministers have visited the Queen at Balmoral and stayed for short periods.
David Cameron once said there was not much “chillaxing” – chilling out and relaxing – at Balmoral, with the royals spending their time riding, fishing or walking.
The Queen has spent so much time at Balmoral that she has perfected the Aberdeenshire accent, according to her cousin.
Margaret Rhodes told BBC Radio 4: “She’s a very, very good mimic.
“She can do the Norfolk and Scottish – Aberdeenshire – accents beautifully and often pretends to be a keeper or somebody or other of them.
“She’s full of laughter, got that wonderful smile. She can tell very funny stories of things that have happened to her where things might have gone just a fraction wrong.”
