A Royal Family prank has been passed on for generations, with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis taking part in it, thanks to their great-grandfather (Image: Kensington Palace via Getty Images)Sign up to our free email to get all the latest royal news and picturesMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Sign up to our free email to get all the latest royal news and picturesInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticePrince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have a prank that they love to play during their annual visit to Balmoral Castle during the summer holidays. It’s a prank that has been in the Royal Family for generations after it was started by the late Prince Philip, despite getting him into trouble with the late Queen. Balmoral Castle holds a special place in the hearts of the Royal Family and is treasured for the privacy and relaxation it offers. Known as a beloved retreat for the late Queen, the royals make their annual journey to Scotland, where they can unwind during their summer holidays, away from the public eye.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have a cheeky prank they love to play during their visits to Balmoral Castle
(Image: Will Warr)
There’s also room for light-heartedness among the royals while they pause their official engagements, Prince Louis, in particular, seems to have inherited a fondness for Balmoral antics. The Princess of Wales shared with Australia’s Governor General David Hurley that her youngest son questioned whether the family’s traditional fun would continue following the Queens passing, reports the Mirror. As recounted by David Hurley, Kate disclosed: “The younger one is now asking questions like, ‘Do you think we can still play these games when we go to Balmoral and things like that, because she’s not going to be there?'” The royal children have been known to pull a playful stunt or two, a tradition kick-started by the late Prince Philip. Recalling a favourite trick of his grandfather’s, Prince William once shared: “Instead of like a mustard pot, we’d have a mustard tube, a squeezy mustard tube. And then he’d squish your hands together to fire the mustard onto the ceiling. He used to get in a lot of trouble from my grandmother for covering most of the places we had lunch and things with mustard on the ceiling.” Meanwhile, Jennie Bond, a former Royal correspondent, gave OK! a glimpse into what else the children enjoy at Balmoral. She told us: “They will enjoy the usual Scotland activities with lots of fresh air, riding, walking, picnicking, fishing and plenty of family games….especially when their young cousins, like the Tindalls, arrive.”
Prince William said his late grandfather Prince Philip created the Balmoral prank
(Image: 2015 Getty Images)
Sign up to OK’s royal newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free Casual vibes reign at Balmoral, with the royals occasionally skipping posh banquets for something simpler. Confirming this down-to-earth indulgence, an insider divulged to The Sun’s Fabulous that the late Queen enjoyed a classic British takeaway: “She very occasionally treated herself to fish and chips when at Balmoral. A footman is dispatched to get it from the local town of Ballater.” Yet tea time remained sacred in the Highlands retreat; King Charles himself once told a Scotland soiree visitor: “In our family everything stops for tea. I have never known a family so addicted to it!” This ritual was dear to the Queen, a fact underscored by former royal chef Darren Grady, who shared: “She’d always have afternoon tea wherever she was in the world. We’d flown out to Australia and were on the Royal Yacht. It was five o’clock in the morning but for the Queen it was five in the afternoon so my first job was making scones.”
Balmoral Castle held a special place in the heart of the late Queen
(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
Members of the Royal Family traditionally spend part of the summer at Balmoral Castle
(Image: Robert Plattner/Oneworld Picture/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Balmoral held a special place in the heart of the late Queen as her preferred retreat and, sadly, where she passed away in September 2022. Princess Eugenie once affectionately said about Balmoral: “It’s the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands.” She also shared: “Walks, picnics, dogs a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs and people coming in and out all the time. It’s a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa, for us to come and see them up there; where you just have room to breathe and run.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnPrince GeorgePrince WilliamPrincess CharlottePrince LouisRoyal Family
