The late Queen 'gave Kate rare photography privilege' at Balmoral summer break

The late Queen 'gave Kate rare photography privilege' at Balmoral summer break Queen Elizabeth II reportedly gave the Princess of Wales exclusive photography privileges during the Royal Family's summers at Balmoral Castle, which was considered Kate's acceptance into the family's most private traditions It has become a cherished family tradition for the Prince and Princess of Wales to make their way to Scotland every summer. Together with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the family spend quality time with the King and Queen during their annual retreat at her Balmoral estate. Prince William, of course, has been visiting the beloved Scottish Highlands getaway since he was a young boy alongside his royal relatives. For his wife Kate, however, her invitation to Balmoral came during the early days of her romance with her future husband. There's little doubt Kate would have felt apprehensive ahead of her first visits to the estate - yet it appears the late Queen Elizabeth was determined to put her at ease - reportedly extending to her a rather special privilege. According to royal author Katie Nicholl, Her Majesty granted Kate permission to bring her camera and photograph Balmoral and its breath-taking surrounding landscape, fully aware of her passion for photography. While this may seem unremarkable to most, Katie explains this was simply not something that was ordinarily permitted. In her book, Kate: The Future Queen, she writes: "Until now the Queen had met Kate only fleetingly at the wedding of Peter and Autumn Phillips, but she went out of her way to make her feel welcome, giving her permission to take pictures at Balmoral." According to the royal expert, both this and receiving an invitation to Balmoral demonstrated that the Queen was prepared to welcome Kate into the inner royal circle. She added: "As a woman who has lived her entire life in the public eye, the Queen rarely lets her guard down, and very few apart from her family and closest friends get to see the real Elizabeth." One particularly iconic photograph taken by Kate at Balmoral was released in 2021 following the deeply sad passing of the late Queen's husband, Prince Philip. It captures the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh in 2018, surrounded by seven of their great-grandchildren during one of their cherished family holidays in Scotland. In keeping with a royal tradition established by the Queen, King Charles traditionally spends August and into September at Balmoral. Throughout his stay, the King extends invitations to various family members to join him, with the royals taking part in a variety of outdoor activities together. The royals are said to have a particular fondness for strolling across the estate's vast 50,000 acres, as well as enjoying al fresco picnics and barbecues. The late Queen's granddaughter Princess Eugenie has previously spoken warmly about her grandparents' deep affection for the retreat and what makes it so special to them. She told the programme Our Queen at 90: "It's the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny is the most happy there, I think she really, really loves the Highlands...walks, picnics, dogs, a lot of dogs, there's always dogs, and people coming in and out all the time. "Family-wise we're all there, so it's a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa to be - for us to come and see them up there where you just have room to breathe and run."