Marivent Palace, in Mallorca, celebrates half a century as a royal summer residence, but it is not the only European summer palace with a designated ephemeris. At Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, this summer will be remembered as the first without Elizabeth II, who died in what was her favorite home on September 8 last year. There, 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 the holidays.
This year is being very different for the British court in Scotland as, for starters, Charles III and Queen Camilla have not been staying at Balmoral Castle itself, but have kept the country house as their base, Birkhall, which is within the same estate, but is much less monumental, and certainly more comfortable, than the main building, built in Victorian times. The new Princes of Wales, who usually choose various holiday destinations, have lost track this year, although it is known that they will spend the first few weeks of September at Balmoral to commemorate the death of the monarch.
Now, the longest-serving European queen is Margaret II of Denmark, who, together with her entire family, usually moves to a wine estate in the south of France, Château de Cayx, in the summers. The Queen and her husband bought the estate in 1974 and since then it has become the Danish royal family’s summer gathering place, which seems to have not changed despite the royal family’s reform that carried out by the Danish queen this year. In July, Count Nicolau de Monpezat—one of the grandsons from whom the queen removed the title of prince in January—shared on his Instagram account some extracts from the family vacation in the south of France, between badminton games, glasses of rosé wine on the terrace and swimming in the nearby Olt river.
The Bernadottes have also been seen at the summer residence. On July 14, Victoria of Sweden celebrated her 46th birthday at Solliden Palace on the island of Oland, where the Swedish royal family’s summer residence is located. Accompanied by the kings, her brothers, her brothers-in-law, her husband and her children, the crown princess received the affection of local citizens during the various events, such as a concert and a carriage parade. The family divides the summer between this palace and the Villa Mirage, a house facing the privileged shores of Saint-Tropez.
Guillem Alexandre and Máxima of the Netherlands also spend the holidays away from their kingdom. Every July, the Orange-Nassaus offer a summer pose in some typically Dutch setting, this year they chose a beach in The Hague, but for the holidays they choose the Mediterranean. In 2012, they bought for four and a half million euros a luxurious estate in the south of Greece that previously belonged to the photographer Manfred Rieker. It is located in the village of Doroufi, near Kranidi, a region chosen in the past by Vladimir Putin and Sean Connery.
King Philippe and Matilde of the Belgians usually spend part of their holidays at Ciergnon Castle, an imposing palace in the south of Belgium in the province of Namur, in whose gardens in 1960 the then Prince Baldwin presented the future Queen Fabiola to the world when he announced his engagement.
The current castle was erected by King Leopold II in a former hunting lodge. Since then, it has been the traditional retreat of the Belgian monarchs and their family, and it was also the place of celebration for the baptisms of Philip and Matilde’s four children.
The royal family of Monaco has the Roc Agel estate in France, which they don’t just use in the summer. It is said to be Princess Charlene’s favorite and is where Princess Estefania cared for her last elephant, which died in July. Princess Carolina, on the other hand, is more commonly seen on the Pacha III, a boat that was a gift from Stefano Casiraghi that she has enjoyed with her children and grandchildren in recent years. A couple of summers ago, she was seen sailing around the Italian island of Pantelleria, escaping the crowded Costa Brava.
Harald V and Sonia of Norway have up to three summer residences, among which their favorite is the house they have on the island of Tjøme, where they spend their private holidays. Mågerø, as this residence is known, exemplifies the basic principle of traditional Nordic architecture and was built using only 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 fiance of Princess Marta Lluïsa, who after the many controversies are continuing with the wedding plans.
