The Queen has headed to her Balmoral residence in Scotland to begin her summer holiday.
MORE: The Queen's private holiday home is full of Prince Philip memories - see inside
She was spotted on Thursday afternoon being driven from her Berkshire residence wearing a bright yellow and purple floral dress. Her Majesty, 96, is likely to spend several months at the estate, and she will no doubt be joined by other members of her family during her time there.
WATCH: The Queen and her family play with dogs on grounds of Balmoral Castle
The Queen usually travels to Balmoral from mid to end of July and first stays at Craigowan Lodge - the stone cottage which is located a mile from the main Balmoral Castle.
MORE: The Queen's Scottish palace was a magical wedding reception for Zara Tindall - inside
READ: How the Queen spends her summer at Balmoral with her great-grandchildren
She will reside at the seven-bedroom lodge until her main Scottish residence closes to the public on 2 August. The Queen tends to stay in Scotland until September/October time before her royal duties resume.
Her Majesty opted for a bright floral summer dress - credit: Goff Photos
Scotland is considered to be one of the Queen's favourite places on Earth; she and her late husband Prince Philip even spent part of their honeymoon at Birkhall hunting lodge, located on the estate, in 1947.
The Balmoral estate is where the royal family can relax away from their usual royal duties and enjoy the quieter life in the countryside.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe monarch tends to spend the summer in Scotland
In the ITV documentary, Our Queen at Ninety, Princess Eugenie spoke about the wonder of Balmoral. "It's the most beautiful place on earth," she said, and it's not only her that is taken aback by the surroundings.
She went on to say: "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."
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity and royal news delivered directly to your inbox.
