Ah, summer. A time to watch the sun set slowly over the dunes, to curl up with a mindless book in the shimmering sand, to laugh late into the night while sipping rosé with old friends and new, to survey the vast domain of your empire from your multiple castles and estates.
Er, sorry, the last part only applies if you’re Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. (That is her full name.) Because when it comes to the hottest season of the year, she’s the literal and figurative queen.
But how exactly does she spend June, July, and August? We break it down, below.
Early June: Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is in use year-round—the queen spends many of her private weekends and Easter at this English countryside estate. But, she also typically takes up residence during one week each June for two events: the Royal Ascot and the service of the Order of the Garter.
Dating back to around 1070 and covering 13 acres, Windsor is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. And what does the queen do, exactly, in this gargantuan fortress? She exercises her corgis and dorgis, tends to her horses, and hosts official visits (with over 18,000 bottles of wine in the cellar, no wonder it’s called the “party place”).
It’s also believed to be the place Queen Elizabeth considers home. During World War II, her father, George VI, deemed London too dangerous for the young princess and she was sent to Windsor with her sister, Margaret. Royal biographer Christopher Warwick told the BBC: “It was a place that was very much home to the queen and to her sister for a very long time and that cemented the emotions and attachment that she has to a place she loves dearly.”
Late June and Early July: Palace of Holyroodhouse
This medieval palace in Edinburgh is the queen’s official Scottish residence. She usually visits, along with Prince Philip, in late June or early July for Holyrood Week. The annual celebration includes the ancient Ceremony of the Keys, where the queen is given the “keys” to the city, and a garden party, where the monarch opens the grounds of Holyroodhouse to around 8,000 people. It’s estimated that 15,000 cups of tea, 9,000 strawberry tarts, and 7,000 sandwiches are served each year.
But the palace hasn’t always been this idyllic. Mary, Queen of Scots’s secretary was murdered here in 1566—right in front of the ruler herself. She wasn’t called “Bloody Mary” for nothing.
August and September: Balmoral
Balmoral castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is one of the queen’s private estates—or, lands that aren’t part of the Crown. Almost every year, the queen and her family decamp there in the late summer months, where they fish, picnic, and barbecue on its 50,000 acres. (Allegedly, Prince Philip is quite the grill master.)
It’s also where the queen likes to haze her prime minsters—leaders during her long reign have been subject to Balmoral’s “parlor games, along with the tartan rugs, bagpipes at breakfast, Prince Philip’s barbecues, draughty corridors adorned with mounted antlers, and clouds of ravenous midges.” Some fared better than others: Tony Blair called the experience “a vivid combination of the intriguing, the surreal, and the utterly freaky,” whereas Margaret Thatcher reportedly compared it to “purgatory.”
Craigowan Lodge at Balmoral
The seven-bedroom Craigowan Lodge is part of the Balmoral estate and is known as the rustic alternative on the property. Queen Elizabeth stays there if she visits when the main house is still open to visitors or if she’s seeking some peace and quiet.
Got it? Good. But if you don’t, here’s a cheat sheet: If you encounter a castle in the U.K. with the flag of the Royal Standard—which has four multicolored quarterings with a lion rampant, lions passant, and a harp—flying high, bow down. Because the queen is officially in town.
