It has been a difficult time for Her Majesty, 95, whose beloved husband the Duke of Edinburgh died in April. The Queen has had to deal with the fallout from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in the wake of Megxit.

       And Jeffrey Epstein-accuser Virginia Giuffre has started legal action against Prince Andrew for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. The Duke of York has always denied the allegations.

       Royal expert Charles Rae said the drama over the Sussexes and Andrew is likely to be taking its toll on the monarch.

       The former royal correspondent said: "I don’t think she’s getting on terribly well at the moment to be perfectly honest.

       "It’s bad enough with Harry and Meghan but this thing with Prince Andrew is 10 times more serious."

       Mr Rae added that Andrew is "never going to come back to public duties".

       The Queen was officially welcomed to Balmoral Castle on Monday for her annual summer holiday.

       The stay at her private Scottish retreat is the monarch's first without Philip.

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       The Duke died peacefully at Windsor Castle just months before his 100th birthday.

       The Queen was welcomed by a guard of honour featuring a Shetland pony mascot.

       The monarch traditionally spends summer in the Scottish Highlands where she is joined by other members of the Royal Family.

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       Andrew was seen arriving with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson on Tuesday.

       The Duke and Duchess of York were followed by Princess Eugenie, her husband Jack Brooksbank and their baby August on Wednesday.

       The monarch is likely to be joined by other royals in the coming days and weeks.

       Despite being on holiday, work still continues for the Queen as every day she receives from Government ministers, and from her representatives in the Commonwealth and foreign countries, information in the form of policy papers, Cabinet documents and other State papers for her attention.

       Scotland has been a welcome place of sanctuary for the Royal Family since Queen Victoria's day.

       The monarch has spent much of the pandemic at Windsor Castle.