Yesterday, Thursday, I went on the Royal Deeside tour, a one day tour of the beautiful Dee
River Valley. The river runs from the Scottish Highlands to its mouth at the North Sea. It
forms the south side of Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland. Traveling by van out
of the city, we always had the cascading river in view. Soon we were entering the western
portion of the Highlands. I and my travel companions (a couple from Texas and three wom-
en from China) soaked in he beauty of majestic forests and forlorn moors.
But the reason we all had chosen this particular tour was because it was the Royal Deeside
Tour; that is, the tour visited Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of Queen Elizabeth and
the Royal Family. Balmoral Castle is not really a castle, but an enlarged hunting lodge. It has
been used as a royal residence ever since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert fell in love with
Balmoral and the Scottish Highlands back in the early 1850s. There is a certain romance with
all things Scottish that has drawn Royalty of the United Kingdom to this place ever since.
As in most years, the Castle closes to the public August 1 when the Queen takes up her an-
nual summer residence at Balmoral. Since I didn't want to wait until next year to tour the
castle and grounds, I reserved a place on one of the last tours for the season. Queen Eliz-
abeth remains very popular with the people of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland,
Wales, and Northern Ireland). For over 150 years, Balmoral has been an important part of
the life of the Royal Family. There was increased police presence when we got there. Per-
haps it was because the Queen would be arriving at the castle that very day. Everything,
however, was rather hush hush due to security concerns.
But of course the big news since Monday has been the birth of the Royal Baby to Prince
William and Princess Kate. The birth of a boy, who later received the name George, was
the great news presented by the BBC and newspapers and the talk of people throughout
Britain and, indeed, throughout the world. Some people I have talked to here in the North
East are thrilled about the birth of the baby boy who is destined to be king. Others are con-
cerned that he will never have a private life of his own, that the public will be interested
in everything that takes place in his life. No one I have talked to would desire that for
themselves or their loved ones. Others are not even interested in the Royal birth; they
couldn't care less. I myself feel sorry for him. It has been rumoured that the new born
Prince would be making his first appearance at Balmoral in the next few days.
William and Kate attract a lot of attention. William is young and gallant and Kate is beau-
ful and charming. Their wedding and Kate's pregnancy won the hearts of many Brits and
Anglophiles around the world. It is hard for me to comprehend that the three of us inhab-
ted the same world, the University of St Andrews, at the same time. It is said that applica-
tions by women to study at St Andrews rose dramatically when it was let out that William
was going there. I remember that there were many women postgraduate students who were
on the prowl for a Prince William sighting. I heard several reports of successful sightings of
the Prince. I may have come across him and Kate, but I really would not have noticed. I
really did not care. As I walked around the town, I was usually lost in my thoughts. I did
spend a lot of time at a nice coffee shop that the couple frequented, but I don't think that
I was ever there when they were. I was never on the look out for them. An elder at Cupar
Old Parish Church, where I served for a year, was the lecturer in the classes in geography
that William attended. I did see the Queen and Prince Charles, however, when they came
to William's graduation service. But I did not see William, nor did I ever see him in his roy-
al person. I just didn't care.
I find it hard to relate to the world that the Royal Family inhabits. Some people are fasci-
nated by Royalty. Others call for the Royalty to be abolished, for they see it as a thing of
the past and of no use to a modern society. But as I delve more and more into British his-
tory and culture, I come to a greater appreciation, even admiration, for the important part
that Royalty plays in the United Kingdom in these days. Maybe I was too hasty in saying
that I don't really care. It is more of being fascinated than caring. I am enchanted by the
British Royalty and its splendour and pageantry. A great deal would be lost if the sense of
royalty were ever done away with. We Americans rejected Royalty in the early years of
the Republic, but it seems to me that many Americans in these days still look with longing
upon the Royal Family here in the United Kingdom. I enjoyed my short visit to Balmoral
Castle. There was a lot of history and culture to soak up. I had an enchanting time.
Blessings to you and yours,
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