From the family heirlooms to the priceless artwork, Balmoral Castle is steeped in royal history.
But a photograph taken inside the drawing room today reveals how Her Majesty has also added her own modern touches.
For sitting atop one of the curved dark wood side tables is an old-school silver iPod mounted in a speaker dock. The gadgets will allow Her Majesty to listen to thousands of her favourite songs at the touch of a button, although it is not known which tunes have made it on to the royal playlist.
Elsewhere the decor is decidedly more traditional. Indeed some of the pieces, including a set of white figurine candlestick holders, are believed to have been installed by the Queen's great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria more than 150 years ago.
The picture was taken during a private audience between the Queen and Sir Peter Cosgrove, the Governor General of Australia and his wife, Lady Cosgrove, on Thursday. It offers the public a glimpse inside a second room in Balmoral just 24 hours after the monarch, 91, was pictured inside the library during another engagement.
Timeless elegance: The Queen with Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor General of Australia, and Lady Cosgrove in the drawing room at Balmoral Castle today Pictured: 1. A set of white figurine candlestick holders that are believed to have been used by Queen Victoria in the mid-1800s; 2. A fireplace trim featuring a repeating thistle motif in a nod to Scotland's national flower; 3. A painting of Queen Victoria and her trusted ghillie John Brown at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight; 4. An iPod classic and iPod dock speaker, which could have possibly been gifted by President Obama; 5. A selection of magazines, including the most recent issue of Country Life; 6. Wooden elephant bookends, a possible nod to Prince Harry's personal passion
In the centre of the bright and spacious room is an imposing marble fireplace and mante
lpiece.
While the Queen has placed convection electric heaters in the hearths of other fireplaces in Balmoral, this one remains a log fire. It was lit today ahead of Her Majesty's visitors' arrival.
The trim inside the hearth features thistles - the national flower of Scotland - and is seen in a watercolour of the room comissioned by Queen Victoria in 1957, five years after she bought the Aberdeenshire property with her husband, Prince Albert.
The same painting, which can be viewed as part of the Royal Collection Trust's online archives, also features a set of white figurine candlestick holders that appears strikingly similar to the one that remains in the room today.
Modern luxury: Sitting atop one of the curved dark wood side tables is an old-school silver iPod mounted in a speaker dock. The gadgets will allow Her Majesty to listen to thousands of her favourite songs at the touch of a button
Magazines: The latest issue of Country Life is believed to be among the selection on display on this wooden side table
Nod to history: A painting of Queen Victoria at Osborne House, the former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight. She is seen with her trusted ghillie John Brown. This is believed to be a pastel copy of the painting by Sir Edwin Landseer
Heritage: The fireplace, believed to have been installed by Queen Victoria, features the thistle, the national flower of Scotland
The distinctive holders show figures standing in different positions. A pair of them have been placed on either side of the large ornate mirror that hangs above the fireplace.
In the centre of the mantelpiece is an ornate gold clock. While this does not appear in the 1857 watercolour, it has been in situ for at least 40 years at it is seen in a photo of the Queen and Prince Philip taken in the room in 1976.
The photograph also shows that the frugal Queen has not changed the furniture, which includes two armchairs covered in a white fern-patterned fabric, and a mint-coloured fabric sofas.
The carpet also remains in the same - a solid green colour.
Among the artwork is a painting of Queen Victoria that hangs between the fireplace and one of the doors.
The moody image shows the monarch on horseback in front of Osborne House, the former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Holding her horse is her trusted ghillie, John Brown, and on the bench in the background sit her daughters Princess Louise and Princess Helena.
It is believed to be a copy of an 1867 painting of the queen by Sir Edwin Landseer.
A selection of magazines and books are on display on a side table by the door. Among the titles is the latest issue of Country Life.
The books are held in place by a set of wooden elephant bookends, which could be a nod to her grandson Prince Harry's efforts to help save the animals from extinction.
Untouched: A photograph of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the drawing room in 1976 reveals how much is the same
Frozen in time: The candlestick holders and the ornate gold clock on the mantelpiece today, left, and in 1976, right
Yesterday a photo taken of the Queen and the incoming Governor-General of Canada revealed how little had changed within the castle over the last 40 years.
The books, including Sir William Fraser’s history of the chiefs of the Grant clan, are in the same position as they were in 1977 when the Queen was photographed with Prince Philip. It appears she has had her armchairs and sofa re-upholstered in green fabric – while the old fabric has cleverly been made into the cushion covers seen today.
The monarch’s desk and chair are the same, however, they have been moved to one side to make way for a Samsung TV.
The latest photograph also shows some of the Queen’s favourite antiques, such as a gold mantlepiece clock and a wooden Newton’s cradle.
A photograph of the Queen and the incoming Governor General of Canada in the library at Balmoral Castle yesterday. Pictured: 1. An armchair, believed to have been re-covered and finished in the Queen's preferred skirted style; 2. A Samsung television and Sky box, a rare modern touch; 3. Volumes of books, including the works of Sir William Fraser, some of which have remained in exactly the same position for 40 years; 4. A desk and leather chair which have been used by the Queen since at least the 1970s; 5. A ship in a bottle, believed to be of the Royal Yacht Britannia; 6. A wooden Newton's Cradle; 7. A mantelpiece filled with an antique gold clock and pair of running figure lamps; 8. An electric convention heater, of a type available for less than £20 on the high street; 9. Cushions in a crown motif fabric that was once used to cover the library sofa
Frozen in time: A photo of the Queen and Prince Philip inside the same library in 1977. While the layout of the room has changed, much of the furniture appears to have remained the same
CULLED FROM: Dailymail Uk
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