Queen Elizabeth Gives a Peek Inside Balmoral Castle — and Reveals What's Stayed the Same for Decades

Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth is giving a glimpse into her royal residence.

For the first time in her 70-year reign, the monarch, 96, appointed the new prime minister of the United Kingdom at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The Queen appeared in good spirits on Tuesday as she welcomed Conservative Party leader Liz Truss to her retreat in the Scottish Highlands and bid outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson a formal farewell.

The Queen hosted her audience in the Drawing Room of Balmoral, opening the door into the cozy space for the public. The monarch was all smiles before a crackling fireplace, and much of the room's décor remains unchanged from decades ago.

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In a 1976 picture taken in the Drawing Room, Queen and Prince Philip sat side-by-side on a soft green sofa similar to those there today, with the same equestrian artwork on the walls and a dorgi at their feet. To their left hung the painting "Queen Victoria at Osbourne," depicting the current monarch's great-great-grandmother on horseback, solemnly reading a letter in mourning, which she became famed for after the death of her husband, Prince Albert.

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In the photo from the '70s, the Queen also held a newspaper in her hands. The royal continues to keep the latest papers nearby — in pictures published Tuesday, stacks of newsprint (their titles indiscernible) were visible on a side table.

Dating even further back, as compared with an image from 1885 — the time of Queen Victoria's reign! — the same gilded mirror, decorative fireplace mantel and ornate candelabras still seem to be in the Drawing Room.

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Two more modern touches were also spotted in the Drawing Room Tuesday: a bell and photo albums. Placed at the ready on an end table near a sofa, the wireless doorbell-style device might be used by the Queen to contact her team throughout the vast castle.

Tucked further down on the table with newspapers, at least three thick photo albums were stacked. Perhaps much like those kept by doting grandmothers around the world, the Queen's albums are filled with shots of her family's summer fun at Balmoral.

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Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 6, 2022

For over 150 years, the Scottish castle has served as a private retreat for the British royals. In the Highlands, the royals like to entertain friends, hold dances, picnic and go on shooting parties — all the while battling the nibbling little flies that stalk the heather-covered mountain sides.

The expansive Scottish property has been in the family since 1845 when Prince Albert purchased the castle and the surrounding 7,000-acre estate.

It's not all play for the monarch while she's away in the Scottish Highlands, however. She continues to work, reading her diplomatic papers in the famous "red boxes" delivered daily. The Queen has also traditionally held audiences and undertaken some public engagements.