Queen Elizabeth II: Royal Family meet well-wishers at Balmoral
- Published
Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were among the family members viewing floral tributes
Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and their families have been viewing tributes and meeting well-wishers near Balmoral.
The Queen's granddaughter Princess Eugenie laid a bunch of flowers as she and other family members walked back from a short service at Crathie Kirk.
Some family members appeared emotional and Prince Andrew was seen comforting his daughters.
King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry all left Balmoral on Friday.
The Duke of York thanked people for visiting Balmoral after the death of his mother, as his daughter Princess Eugenie wiped a tear from her cheek while reading tributes to her grandmother.
It was the first time the members of the Royal Family had been seen together in public since the Queen's death on Thursday.
Prince Andrew told mourners: "It's nice to see you, thank you for coming."
The prayer service was held at Crathie Kirk church, a place the Queen visited regularly during her stays at Balmoral.
Shortly after it ended, the family began a sombre walk across the bridge over the River Dee, towards the castle.
They were seen nodding and waving to the members of the public who had lined the route.
They then walked over to view the collection of flowers and tributes left at the gates.
The crowd of well-wishers at Balmoral broke out into a round of applause as the Royal Family waved to them.
The family spent just under 10 minutes intently reading the tributes and admiring the flowers before they went back inside Balmoral Castle.
'She was one of our own'
From Ben Philip, BBC Scotland reporter at Balmoral
There is a feeling of profound sadness in the local community around Balmoral which treats the royal family as neighbours.
A constant stream of people of all ages and nationalities have been filing across the Isambard Kingdom Brunel Bridge over the River Dee throughout the day.
Some people are too upset to speak. Today the public car park at Balmoral has been closed as the area struggles to cope with the influx of visitors.
Mourners instead are arriving on a fleet of park-and-ride buses from nearby areas. A local woman, said: "We want to remember her. She was one of our own."
Another well-wisher said: "I felt like this was the right thing to do. I can't believe she's gone. She was known as a neighbour around here and she'll be sorely missed."
One woman described seeing the royals looking at the tributes as "incredibly emotional".
- 11 hours ago
