Queen Elizabeth II has travelled to Scotland for a week of traditional public engagements and celebrations.
The queen has mobility problems that have forced her to cancel many public appearances in 2022 and her presence in Scotland was not confirmed until Monday.
She will make personal appearances at some of the Scotland events but Prince Charles, heir to the throne, and her daughter Anne, Princess Royal, will stand in for her in others.
Prince Charles, known as the Earl of Rothesay in Scotland, and the Princess Royal will all take part in a series of public engagements over the coming days.
On Monday, the queen was in Edinburgh for the Ceremony of the Keys — the traditional opener to Holyrood week for the royals.
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Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, is seated between her grandfather King George V and grandmother Queen Mary as they ride in a carriage back to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, in August 1935. All photos: Getty Images -
US president Dwight Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth inspecting a Guard of Honour at the gates of Balmoral, Scotland, in 1959. -
Prince Andrew perches on Prince Philip's lap during a picnic in the grounds of Balmoral Castle, with the queen, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, in 1960. -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip by a waterfall in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in 1972. -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip with highland cattle at Balmoral in 1972. -
The queen, Princess Diana, and Prince Charles share a joke as they attend the Braemar Highland Games in 1982. -
Queen Elizabeth is surrounded by Scottish flags as she watches the procession along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh to mark the formal opening of the Scottish Parliament in 2004. -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip arrive to officially open the new headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland in Gogarburn, in 2005. -
The queen visits Stirling Castle, the home of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, in 2007. -
The queen and Prince Philip attend the Braemar Gathering at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park in 2007. -
Queen Elizabeth, alongside Prince Charles, is presented with one of the first copies of 'Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, The Official Biography' by author William Shawcross in the garden at Birkhall, the Scottish home of the prince, in 2009. -
The royal family watch proceedings from their box at the 2009 Braemar Highland Games. -
The queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles leave the 'Hebridean Princess' boat after a family holiday around the Western Isles of Scotland, in Scrabster in 2010. -
Queen Elizabeth and Pope Benedict XVI leave the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official residence in Scotland, after a visit by the pope in 2010. -
The queen meets guests at a garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, in 2014. -
The queen and Prince Philip arrive at 'HMS Queen Elizabeth' in Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, where she formally named the Royal Navy's biggest ever ship in 2014. -
Queen Elizabeth attends the Opening Ceremony for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games at Celtic Park. -
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on board the steam locomotive 'Union of South Africa' in 2015, in Edinburgh. -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles watch competitors at the Braemar Gathering in 2016. -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince William visit AG Barr's factory, where the Irn-Bru drink is manufactured, in Cumbernauld in 2021. -
The queen during an inspection of the Balaklava Company, 5 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, at Balmoral in 2021. -
The queen and Prince Charles pose at Balmoral Estate Cricket Pavilion with children from nearby Crathie Primary School, to mark the start of the official planting season for the queen's Green Canopy in October 2021.
In the ceremony, the monarch was handed the keys of the Scottish capital and welcomed to her “ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland”.
She was joined by her youngest son, Edward, and his wife, Sophie, known as the Earl and Countess of Forfar while they are in Scotland, for the event, which is taking place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
In May, royal officials said the queen would not attend this summer's royal garden parties at Buckingham Palace or Holyrood.
She spent an unscheduled night in hospital in October, forcing her to cancel a series of public engagements.
The Scotland trip comes after her platinum jubilee celebrations, when she pledged to continue to serve the country “to the best of my ability supported by my family”.
The four-day holiday included the Trooping the Colour parade, a church service at St Paul’s Cathedral, and an open-air concert at Buckingham Palace.
She was not able to attend the Epsom races during her jubilee week and she also did not appear at Ascot — a traditional royal event where fashion meets horse racing.
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The most recent official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle, was for her platinum jubilee. The image is part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition, on view at Windsor Castle until September 26. Photo: Ranald Mackechnie -
This portrait, issued by the Royal Collection Trust, was taken by photographer Dorothy Wilding in 1952, and is featured in the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Accession exhibition, on view at Buckingham Palace until October 2. Photo: Royal Collection Trust -
This portrait of Queen Elizabeth by British artist Lucian Freud was finished in 2001 and caused an outcry. The image is a part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. Reuters -
The monarch was featured in Andy Warhol's 'Reigning Queens' series of portraits created in 1985. The pop art print, although not officially commissioned, was later brought into the Royal Collection. The image is a part of Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. Photo: Royal Collection Trust -
This image of Queen Elizabeth II on her Coronation Day on June 2, 1953, was taken by royal photographer Cecil Beaton, and remains one of the most famous portraits of the monarch. The image is a part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. Photo: Royal Collection Trust -
The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II painted by Pietro Annigoni, was finished in 1956 and commissioned by the Fishmongers Company in the City of London. The image is a part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. PA -
Michael Leonard's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was painted for her 60th birthday, and commissioned by 'Reader's Digest'. The image is a part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. Photo: Reader's Digest / Shutterstock -
Nigerian artist Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy painted this portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which was commissioned by the Commonwealth to mark her 2002 golden jubilee on March 10, 2002. The image is a part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. Photo: Royal Collection Trust -
Artist Chris Levine made headlines with his controversial portrait titled 'Lightness of Being', which shows the queen with her eyes closed. The image is a part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. Photo: Royal Collection Trust -
The 1963 plaster cast known as the 'Dressed Head' by Arnold Machin, provided the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to be used on British stamps from 1967. The image is a part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. Getty Images -
This recent portrait of the monarch titled 'Algorithm Queen', was painted by an ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist called Ai-Da Robot for the platinum jubilee. -
Ralph Heimans's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was commissioned to mark her 60 years on the throne and hung in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. The image is a part of the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen's Coronation exhibition. Photo: Dean and Chapter of Westminster / AFP
Queen Elizabeth has notched up a number of milestones in her record-breaking 70 years on the throne.
She has reigned for longer than any other monarch in British history.
The record was held by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years, seven months and two days until 1901.
At 96, Queen Elizabeth is the oldest current monarch and head of state in the world.
Two kings have ruled for longer: France's Louis XIV for more than 72 years between 1643 and 1715 and Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej, who spent 70 years and four months on the throne until his death in October 2016.
Queen Elizabeth has travelled to more than 100 countries since 1952 — another record for a British monarch — and made more than 150 visits to Commonwealth countries.
