Prince William accompanies the Queen to church in Balmoral

Prince William accompanies the Queen to church in Balmoral



Prince William accompanied his grandmother the Queen to church near Balmoral Castle today.

The prince, 35, smiled as he joined Her Majesty in her Burgundy Daimler for the short journey from the Scottish residence to nearby Crathie Kirk for the Sunday service.

They were joined by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, who travelled separately in Charles' green Audi.

However notably absent was William's wife the Duchess of Cambridge, who is expecting the couple's third child and has had to miss a number of recent royal engagements due to severe morning sickness.



The Duke of Edinburgh, who joined the Queen for their annual summer holiday at the Aberdeenshire estate, has already left to return to England.

The Queen is expected to follow suit and return on October 10.

Prince William joined his father at Balmoral for the annual Ghillies Ball, which is thrown for the staff of the royal residence.



Held by successive monarchs since the days of Queen Victoria, the dance is one of the highlights of the royal calendar.

The party is held in the Ballroom of Balmoral Castle, the largest room in Queen’s private and most beloved residence, which is decorated with Highland scenes by Landseer and Carl Haag as well as silver statues by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm.



Invitations to the Ghillies Ball are hugely sought after – sent to estate staff, a handful of the Queen’s closest neighbours on Royal Deeside and notable members of the local community.

Unlike other royal functions, the sovereign and members of her family mingle and dance Scottish reels arm-in-arm with their guests.

A Royal source said: 'Prince William came up to stay with the Queen at the castle to go to the Ghillies Ball on Thursday night. Everyone had a great night. The Queen will be here until the second week in October'.



Meanwhile the Duchess of Cambridge, 35, has kept a low profile since announcing her pregnancy earlier this month.

The couple were forced to announce the good news earlier than anticipated because the duchess has again been suffering again with severe morning sickness.

She has been struck down with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), which affects just one per cent of pregnancies and is a complication that causes excessive nausea and vomiting. The Duchess sadly had to miss Prince George's first day of school because of the condition.

However there are signs the royal's health is improving as last week Kensington Palace announced that she would be co-hosting a Buckingham Palace reception with Prince Harry and Prince William next month.