The Marivent palace, in Majorca, celebrates half a century as a royal summer residence, but it is not the only European summer palace that celebrates a marked anniversary. At Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, this summer will be remembered for being the first without Elizabeth II, who died in what was her favorite abode on September 8 last year. Here, in the mountainous region of the Highlands, the monarch had the rare opportunity to isolate herself almost completely from the rest of the world during her vacation.
This year is being very different for the British court in Scotland, because, for starters, Charles III and Queen Camilla have not stayed at Balmoral Castle itself, but have kept their country house, Birkhall, which is inside, as their base. from the same estate but it is much less monumental, and surely more comfortable, than the main building, built in Victorian times. The new princes of Wales, who tend to choose varied destinations for their holidays, have been asked for the clue this year, although it is known that they will spend the first weeks of September in Balmoral to commemorate the death of the monarch.
Now, the longest-serving European queen in office is Margaret II of Denmark, who together with her entire family usually moves to a wine estate in the south of France, the Château de Cayx, in the summers. The queen and her husband bought the estate in 1974 and since then it has become the meeting place of the Danish royal family in summer, something that seems to have not changed despite the reform in the royal family carried out by the Danish queen. this year. During the month of July, Count Nicolás de Monpezat —one of the grandchildren to whom the queen withdrew the title of prince last January— shared on his Instagram account some excerpts from his family vacation in the south of France, between games of badminton, glasses of rosé wine on the terrace and swimming in the nearby Lot river.
The Bernadottes have also been seen at their summer residence. On July 14, Victoria of Sweden celebrated her 46th birthday at Solliden Palace, on the island of Oland, where the summer residence of the Swedish royal family is located. Accompanied by the kings, her brothers, her brothers-in-law, her husband and her children, the crown princess received the affection of citizens of the area during different events such as a concert and a parade of carriages. The family divides the summer between this palace and the Villa Mirage, a house facing the privileged coast of Saint-Tropez.
Far from their kingdom, Willem-Alexander and Máxima from the Netherlands also spend their holidays. Every July, the Orange-Nassaus offer a summer inn in a typically Dutch setting. This year they chose a beach in The Hague, but for their vacations they choose the Mediterranean. In 2012 they bought a luxurious estate in southern Greece for four and a half million euros that previously belonged to photographer Manfred Rieker. It is located in the town of Doroufi, near Kranidi, a region chosen in the past by Vladimir Putin and Sean Connery.
King Philippe and Mathilde of the Belgians usually spend part of their vacation at the Ciergnon castle, an imposing palace in southern Belgium, in the province of Namur, in whose gardens in 1960 the then-Prince Baudouin presented the future queen to the world. Fabiola announcing her engagement. The current castle was erected by King Leopold II in a former hunting lodge. Since then it has been the traditional retreat place for the Belgian monarchs and their families and was also the venue for the baptisms of the four children of Philippe and Matilde.
The royal family of Monaco has the Roc Agel estate in France, which they don't just use in summer. It is said that she is Princess Charlene's favorite and that is where Princess Stephanie cared for her last elephant, who died last July. Princess Carolina, on the other hand, is more common to see her aboard the Pacha III, a gift boat from Stefano Casiraghi that in recent years he has enjoyed with her children and grandchildren. A couple of summers ago she was seen sailing around the Italian island of Pantelleria, fleeing the crowded Côte d'Azur.
Harald V and Sonia from Norway have up to three summer residences, but among them their favorite is the house they have on the island of Tjøme, where they spend their private vacations. Mågerø, as this residence is known, exemplifies the basic principle of traditional Nordic architecture and was built only with natural materials in 1993. On the other hand, the Norwegian royal family also enjoys a few days aboard the royal yacht, the Norge, which for the first time this summer welcomed on board the fantastic shaman Durek Verrett, the fiancé of Princess Marta Luisa, who after many controversies continue with their wedding plans.
