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The Royal Family has seen a stark difference since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II last year. There still seems to be an unfamiliar air even one year after her demise. Still, the Royal Family has been keeping up with public appearances as scheduled. One of those appearances happened to be one of the favorite highlights on the royal family calendar – the Braemar Royal Highland gathering.

The festival, which also celebrates Scottish heritage, is taking place just a week before the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth. While this is definitely a trying time for the Royal Family, the atmosphere of the big event helps offset the ominous air.

King Charles At The Braemar Royal Highland

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This year, King Charles attended the event with his wife, Queen Camilla. Princess Anne, and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, also joined them. To pay homage to the Scottish heritage, the King decided to commit to Scottish garb, including a kilt, knee socks, and sporran. His attire was designed by The Scottish Tartans Authority earlier this year.

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The former Queen passed away at the age of 96 last September at her beloved Balmoral Castle. This just so happens to be where Charles will be retreating after the games, continuing his mother’s traditions. Last year, the King and his guests attended the event as Queen Elizabeth backed out unexpectedly after her health deteriorated. It was the first year the games were played after the pandemic.

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The Queen’s absence also marked the breaking of a tradition during her 70-year-old reign as she had missed the games just four times during this period.

Queen Elizabeth at The Games

The Queen had been attending the event since her accession in 1952 and became the royal family’s longest-serving member to hold the role. In fact, she had attended the event even as a child. In her presence, the games used to be a family day out, with her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren joining along. She last attended the Games in September 2019.

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King Charles and Queen Camila will retreat at Balmoral Castle to honor the Queen’s death anniversary. The day also stands as the now-King’s Accession Day. Westminster Abbey will ring bells to celebrate the landmark. Besides this, a 21-gun salute will be fired in the royal parks to mark the occasion.

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