Inside Queen Elizabeth’s favourite home where you can stay over Christmas

QUEEN Elizabeth’s favourite home has opened its doors for visitors to stay in over Christmas.

Her late Majesty’s Balmoral Estate is allowing bookings for up to six people.

PA:Press Association

Queen Elizabeth’s favourite home Balmoral Castle[/caption]

Balmoral Estate

A cottage on the Balmoral Estate is opening its doors to the public this Christmas[/caption]

Balmoral Estate

Groups of up to six can enjoy the newly refurbished cottage[/caption]

Balmoral Estate

It is set in the Scottish countryside[/caption]

Balmoral Castle wrote online: “Discover the perfect Christmas getaway in the heart of Royal Deeside!

“We are now accepting bookings for Knocks Cottage week commencing Tuesday 20th December. Experience the magic of Christmas on the Balmoral Estate with space for up to six people!”

Knocks Cottage was refurbished an extended recently.

It has a log burner, Nespresso machine, breakfast bar and three bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms.

The 50,000-acre Balmoral estate was Queen Elizabeth’s favourite place to be.

She once described it as “paradise in the Highlands”.

The Queen’s beloved Balmoral Castle, the site of her sad passing last month aged 96, is filled with historic treasures – some of which have been practically untouched for decades.

Pictures released last month of the monarch in the Scottish castle have revealed that much of the royal home remains unchanged from its past splendour.

Included in the historic library is a golden clock on the mantlepiece, vast volumes of books on the bookshelves, and an antique table that remains unmoved for over 40 years.

Eagle eyed royal fans will also spot one of her Majesty’s most prized possessions on the antique table – a ship in a bottle, believed to be of the Royal Yacht Britannia.

A photograph of the Queen and her late husband Philip in the same room from 1972 shows how much of the royal furniture still remains in the exact same place.

While plenty of the room has not been changed, Charles appears to have made some modifications in his first month as monarch.

One redecoration has been to her Majesty’s chairs, which were said to be re-covered and finished in the Queen’s preferred skirted style.

Since the photograph inside the library from 2017, the green chairs appear to have been swapped out for regal red leather armchairs, complete with new cushions.

Also spotted in both the historic and modern photographs are golden running figurines on the mantlepiece and a classic fireplace – although in the recent snaps it appears to be currently filled with an efficient heater rather than a roaring log fire.

PA

King Charles III pictured last month during an audience with the Governor of Victoria, Australia, Linda Dessau, at Balmoral[/caption]

Getty

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip at Balmoral during their Silver Wedding anniversary year, 1972[/caption]

Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

The Queen welcomes Canadian Governor General Designate Julie Payette at Balmoral Castle on September 20, 2017[/caption]