Prince Louis’ heartbreaking question following death of great-grandma the Queen

The Royal Family are currently spending their first Summer at Balmoral without the matriarch

Prince Louis and The Queen
(Image credit: Jonathan Brady - Pool/Getty Images and Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince Louis asked his mum Kate Middleton a heartbreaking question ahead of the Royal Family's first holiday in Balmoral without his great-grandma the late Queen.

  • Prince Louis wanted to know if the Royal Family's annual Balmoral holiday would still be the same without his great-grandma The Queen, asking his mum if they could still 'play games when they go' even though 'she's not going to be there.'
  • The family are currently enjoying time at Balmoral, filling their trip with 'walks, picnics and a lot of dogs' according to Princess Eugenie. 
  • In other royal news, Kate Middleton has a savvy ‘life plan’ to help balance family life with royal duties.

The past year has marked a lot of changes for the Royal Family, but thankfully their annual trip to Balmoral Castle has remained largely the same despite the family missing their matriarch, the late Queen Elizabeth

The family's holiday allows the royals to come together and let their hair down after the many royal engagements they attend each year. This year's break is especially poignant as a year filled with huge events from the Queen's state funeral, King Charles III's coronation and the King's birthday parade has likely left the whole family exhausted and in much need of a reset. 

But the trip marks an end for the royals. For the first time, they will spend the holiday without the Queen as King Charles and Queen Camilla host the royals for the first time. Much of the stay will be punctuated by the same traditions as always including the untraditional way William and Kate travel to the Scottish residence and the long-standing Ghillies Ball, though Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis may miss out on this one family tradition started by their great-grandma.

Following the death of the Queen, Prince Louis in particular was reportedly worried about the Balmoral holiday and how it would be different without his great-grandma in attendance. 

Prince Louis placing his handprint on a wall

(Image credit: Getty)

Australia's Governor General David Hurley revealed that when he met with Kate Middleton recently, she admitted that her youngest son was full of questions about their upcoming trip and was worried he wouldn't be allowed to play games like normal following the Queen's death.

Speaking to The Sun, David revealed that Kate said, "The younger one is now asking questions like, 'do you think we can still play these games when we go to Balmoral and things like that, cause she's not going to be there?'"

Thankfully for Louis, the holiday is still sure to be filled with all the same exciting activities as normal. 

The Sun reports that Princess Eugenie previously shared that a typical day at Balmoral is filled with 'walks, picnics and a lot of dogs' as the family make the most of the stunning 52,000-acre Scottish estate.

Prince Louis

(Image credit: Getty Images)

An unlikely tradition beloved by the family during their stay involves them sitting down for 'fish and chips' from a local takeaway, something the Queen 'occasionally' did when visiting the home.

The Mirror previously reported that the Queen would order a dish costing around '£10' for herself from a local town near to Balmoral. Speaking to Fabulous, a source revealed, “She occasionally treats herself to fish and chips when at Balmoral. A footman is despatched to get it from the local town of Ballater.”

We're sure that's a tradition Prince Louis would love to keep up and, as King Charles reportedly 'loves a trip to the chip shop,' the odds are looking good. 

Speaking on behalf of Slingo to The Express, Mr Harrold, who worked for King Charles from 2004 to 2011, revealed, “Having fish and chips says that we are British, and we’re proud of our roots as Brits. It doesn’t say anything about your status or anything, because even royals love a trip to the chip shop.

“In Scotland, having fish and chips on a Friday is very common. You would have fish and chips and a cup of tea. And I’ve noticed it’s very similar in England where people will head to the chippy on a Friday.

“I wouldn’t say that royals or aristocrats wouldn’t not have fish and chips, I wouldn’t say it would never happen. But they would more likely have sole and chips. It would be done in a different way.

“Traditionally, fish and chips come from a religious tradition, as they wouldn’t eat meat on a Friday. But now, it’s just something that our parents and grandparents have done.”

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Royal News and Entertainment writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.