![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756074016_198_1_The-80th-Anniversary-of-VE-Day.jpg\")
The Prince and Princess of Wales (Image: PA)<\/p>\nKing Charles is officially enjoying his annual holiday to Balmoral and looks set to welcome family members for a Highlands getaway – but it could get awkward, according to Jennie Bond<\/p>\n
17:00, 23 Aug 2025Updated 17:14, 23 Aug 2025<\/p>\n
The Prince and Princess of Wales (Image: PA)<\/p>\n
King Charles has <\/a>officially started his Balmoral summer holiday – and it can only mean one thing.<\/p>\n The majority of his royal relatives will all be heading to the Scottish Highlands to join him for the annual getaway<\/a> to the Aberdeenshire estate.<\/p>\n Family members such as the Prince and Princess of Wales<\/a> and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh<\/a> nearly always join the monarch. But it seems one family member has raised eyebrows by also travelling to Balmoral this year – Prince Andrew. He and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have reportedly headed to the estate despite humiliating claims about the pair in a brand new biography<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ MORE: King Charles invites rarely-seen royal family member to summer holiday in Balmoral<\/a>READ MORE: Prince Harry’s secret letter sends ‘painful’ message to royals after William ‘gut punch’<\/a> They are said to be staying at the seven-bedroom Craigowan Lodge, which was a favourite place to stay of the late Queen’s. And while his inclusion on the holiday might be a surprise to some, it isn’t to former BBC<\/a> royal correspondent Jennie Bond.<\/p>\n She told the Mirror<\/a> : “The summer break at Balmoral is very much a private time for the Royal Family<\/a>. There\u2019s no big walk to church – as at Christmas<\/a> at Sandringham – there\u2019s no Easter service as at Windsor each year, so members of the family can come and go pretty much unnoticed.<\/p>\n “Charles is not an unkind man, and nothing is ever going to change the fact that Andrew is his brother. He\u2019s very fond of his nieces, Beatrice and Eugenie, and he wouldn\u2019t want to deprive them of special family time with their parents.<\/p>\n “So Craigowan Lodge is ideal for the whole York family to be together on the Balmoral estate, but not under the same roof as the King and Queen.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s well known, anyway, that Charles and Camilla much prefer to be at Birkhall rather than in the castle. So, it\u2019s anyone\u2019s guess as to who will be staying where.<\/p>\n “With several properties on the estate, it\u2019s a great way for the extended family to be together for walks, picnics, and dinners perhaps – but also to have time apart. And that, as many people will recognise, is the ideal recipe for a relaxed holiday with relatives.”<\/p>\n In years gone by, the late Queen would stay at Balmoral, her beloved home, for weeks on end during the summer with various family members coming and going.<\/p>\n Jennie says many of the visits are carefully coordinated to ensure there are no awkward encounters. And she believes this will be the case when it comes to Andrew and his nephew Prince William<\/a>, whose relationship has been described as “incredibly strained”.<\/p>\n She explained: “The visits by various members of the family are carefully coordinated: for example, when the Duchess of York was invited there in the past, it was deliberately timed to avoid her running into Prince Philip<\/a>. Similarly, I rather expect that Andrew\u2019s stay will not coincide with William and Catherine’s.”<\/p>\n Andrew’s relationship with his older brother, the King, is also said to be strained, with the monarch keen to get his sibling to move out of his huge Royal Lodge home into a smaller property.<\/p>\n It comes after several scandals have plagued Andrew in recent years, with a new book called Entitled by Andrew Lownie depicting him as sex obsessed, a \u201cuseful idiot\u201d and easy prey for Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jennie added: “I very much doubt that the King has read Andrew Lownie\u2019s book about the Duke, but he will have been made aware of its content.<\/p>\n “You would imagine that the Balmoral holiday would give the two brothers the chance to sit down and talk about the damage all the allegations against the Duke have done.<\/p>\n “But, years of reporting on the Royal Family have taught me that they are sometimes quite strange in their dealings with one another.<\/p>\n “And it may be that they will just politely get on with enjoying the traditional break they have had as brothers for so many decades, and avoid the elephant in the room.”<\/p>\n Get the inside scoop on the monarchy with Mirror Royal<\/p>\n WHATSAPP GROUP: <\/strong>Be first to get the biggest royal bombshells and exclusives to your phone by joining our Royal WhatsApp here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_Sarah-Ferguson-and-Prince-Andrew.jpg\")
Andrew and Fergie are said to have been staying at Craigowan Lodge (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756074019_933_3_Service-Of-Thanksgiving-For-Lord-Snowden.jpg\")
Prince William with his uncle Prince Andrew in 2017(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Charles](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_King-Charles-III-And-Queen-Camilla-Attend-A-Service-At-Crathie-Kirk.jpg\")
Charles and Camilla at Balmoral earlier this year (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n