King Charles is breaking late Queen Elizabeth II's tradition for second year in a row

King Charles is etching his own mark on the monarchy - balancing reverence for tradition with a spirit of innovation. He was recently seen attending church on New Year's Eve at the Church of St Mary Magdalene at Sandringham.

Before that, his big appearance during the holidays was the traditional Christmas day walkto church as he greeted well-wishers. While King Charles follows many traditions set by the former monarchs, he has also made many new traditions of his own. For Instance, spending January in Scotland.

King Charles to spend January at Balmoral Estate in Scotland

King Charles has decided to spend January at Balmoral Estate in Scotland. Instead of remaining at Sandringham in Norfolk — as late Queen Elizabeth II did for January during her reign — King Charles and Queen Camilla will head north.

As Town & Country magazine writes, it seems like King Charles is making his own Royal calendar. It is understood that King Charles and Queen Camilla ‘will spend the next few weeks at Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate, which is said to be the King’s favourite residence and the one they consider their marital home.’

Queen Elizabeth II would remain at Sandringham from the start of the year and through the anniversary of the death of her father — King George VI — on February 6. Her tradition was understood to stem from the fact that King George VI passed away while at the Norfolk estate.

King Charles, on the other hand, has broken the tradition for the second year in a row. He didn’t stay at Sandringham in January 2023 as well.

Why is the Balmoral estate King Charles’ favourite Royal residence?

Birkhall was previously the residence of Queen Elizabeth II’s mother aka Queen Mother and was passed to then-Prince Charles in 2002 upon her death. The Scottish estate shortly became King’s favourite Royal residence and he even spent his honeymoon with Queen Camilla there in 2005.

The monarch — who is passionate about the environment, farming and gardening — loves the gardens at the Scottish estate. Speaking of the garden, he previously said:

It is such a special place, particularly because it was made by my grandmother.

It is a childhood garden, and all I’ve done, really, is enhance it a bit.

While Birkhall will be their primary January address, rumours whisper of potential additional visits to the Castle of Mey, Queen Mother's former residence on the North Coast. Changing his location for the start of the year isn’t the only sign that the monarch is paving his own Royal path. He has made a new change to the Royal menu for a more sustainable future and also plans to go against Queen Elizabeth by investigating a dark moment in Royal Family history.

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⋙ King Charles: Royal expert reveals reason why Sarah Ferguson was invited to key Christmas tradition

⋙ King Charles and Christmas: Here’s how the King used to give quirky presents to his staff members

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Town & Country Magazine: King Charles to Spend January in Scotland, a New Royal Tradition