Queen's official welcome to Balmoral held in private

The Queen's traditional welcome to Balmoral Castle by a guard of honour will be held in private this year for her "comfort", according to sources.

Her Majesty normally inspects a military unit at the gates to mark her taking up residence there.

However, the event will take place inside the gates on Tuesday.

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The Queen has experienced mobility issues since autumn last year and often uses a walking stick.

Some of her official engagements this year have been shorter than usual.

She publicly missed much of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations during the extended Bank Holiday weekend in June but did make two separate brief appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

The Queen, who travelled to Scotland on 21 July, is believed to have been staying at a property on her estate and will move to her main Balmoral residence on Tuesday.

The monarch is unlikely to be alone for very long as members of her family are invited to spend time with her at Balmoral every summer.

She is also expected to break her summer holiday and travel back to England to hold audiences with the outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor in early September.