On Sunday, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke of York — who is no longer a working royal due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein — drove together to Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle.
Crathie Kirk is the go-to church for the British royals during stays in Scotland, and the outing comes amid the family’s first summer stay at Balmoral of King Charles’ reign.
Prince William, 41, drove to the service with his uncle in the front passenger seat and his wife in the back on the way there. The Princess of Wales, 41, switched seats with Andrew for the car ride after.
King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 76, are continuing Queen Elizabeth’s tradition of privately vacationing in the Scottish Highlands in August and will likely remain there through his Accession Day.
Charles acceded the throne when his mother died “peacefully” at age 96 on Sept. 8, 2022, at her beloved Balmoral.
Charles and Camila drove to church on Sunday in another car, while Prince Edward, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence also rode together.
Lady Susan Hussey was also spotted driving to Craithe Kirk and smiled from the passenger’s seat.
The longtime lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth resigned from her palace aide position following a racist incident at Buckingham Palace in November 2022 and has since joined the royals for the church at Sandringham over the winter. Though Lady Susan’s latest appearance signifies that she remains within the royal fold, she is no longer a member of King Charles’ team.
Prince Andrew, 63, also stepped back from public duties when his affiliation with Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting federal sex-trafficking charges, came to light.
In January 2022, the day after a judge rejected Prince Andrew’s attempt to have Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth had stripped her son of his military titles and patronages. The Duke of York would no longer undertake public engagements as a working royal or use the “His Royal Highness” styling.
Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing and settled with Giuffre out of court in February 2022. Some of his former military appointments were recently redistributed to other members of the royal family, including Kate and Sophie.
While Andrew is no longer a working royal, he retained his title as the Duke of York and kept his place in the line of succession to the throne, which is currently eighth behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children.
Although he no longer carries out royal duties, Andrew still attends family events. He stepped out for the traditional Christmas Day church outing at St. Mary Magdalene in December, Easter Sunday church service at St. George’s Chapel in April and Charles’ historic coronation at Westminster Abbey in May.
While he did not play a role in the church service or appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, he sat with fellow members of the royal family at the Coronation Concert and next to his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Though they were not spotted during the royal ramble to Craithe Kirk on Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of York’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie reportedly arrived at Balmoral for the royal family’s annual retreat last week.
Balmoral was Queen Elizabeth’s summer sanctuary throughout her record-breaking reign where she traditionally spent the month of August. Family and friends convened at the castle and made the most of the grounds with outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, horseback riding and picnics, past times that King Charles will likely continue.
King Charles had already been in Scotland for several weeks before he was ceremoniously welcomed to Balmoral on Aug. 21, signaling the kickoff of his stay.
The monarch (who was recently announced as the new Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Scotland) inspected a Guard of Honour of the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, outside Balmoral, and met Corporal Cruachan IV, a playful Shetland pony who serves as the mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland — just like his mother traditionally did.
On Saturday, the King and Queen Camilla attended another ceremony on the grounds of Balmoral, where they presented with a new colour (regimental flag) to the Royal Guard.
“‘The Ballater Colour’ is a ceremonial Colour used by the Royal Guard: the soldiers who guard Balmoral Castle whilst the Monarch is in residence in the summer months. The new Colour marks The King’s new reign,” the Royal Family explained on X (formerly Twitter), posting photos of the new standard.
