Members of the Royal Family have wiped away tears and embraced each other as they viewed countless tributes left by mourners at the Balmoral gates.
They took some time to look at all of the floral tributes and messages which have been left in memory of the Queen over the past 48 hours.
They nodded and briefly spoke to those who have gathered there today as they walked past, with Prince Andrew thanking them for coming.
It is understood most of the family travelled up to the Deeside estate after the Queen died on Thursday afternoon.
Today, they left the castle to attend a church service at nearby Crathie Kirk.
The crowds of people who were in attendance at Balmoral to pay their respects were cleared away from the road before their departure.
Six vehicles transporting the Royal Family were then seen driving out of the gates at around 2pm.
Members of the Royal Family spoke to people lined up waiting for their chance to pay their respects to the late Queen. pic.twitter.com/TdYbAi9ImZ
— Lauren Taylor (@ltaylor_DCT) September 10, 2022
‘They were all really sad’
Upon their return, the family members, who were all dressed in black, walked over the bridge leading into the Balmoral estate.
Dozens of people stood behind barriers as they passed and were thanked for coming out and leaving their tributes.
Jefferson Campideli, 46, was with his daughter Giovanna, 14, when the royals walked past
Mr Campideli, from Westhill, hopes to properly visit the palace one day.
He said: “Prince Edward asked me about where I came from, and I spoke to Princess Beatrice as well because her husband is Edoardo Mapelli and my grandmother was Mapelli as well.
“They’re from the same region in Italy so because of this I sent condolences from my family.”
Katheryn Groundwater, from Westhill, also came to the gates of Balmoral today with her two kids Cameron, 11 and Blair, 7.
Cameron said: “It was pretty sad because they were all really sad. But, it was cool we got to see them walking up the road and we got to shake hands with Princess Eugenie.”
Blair added: “She said ‘thanks for coming’.”
Cameron continued: “It was really sad when we were watching the news and everyone was really sad on the TV, one of them was almost crying.
“We were just thinking we were going to walk down and put our flowers down and then get the bus back to Ballater.”
Waving to the crowds
The Earl and Countess of Forfar were joined by their daughter Lady Louise Windsor for the prayer service and outside the gates.
Prince Andrew was seen hugging his daughter Princess Eugenie after she added a bouquet to the other tributes. His other daughter, Princess Beatrice, also viewed the messages left for the Queen.
The Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, was also present alongside her husband Timothy Lawrence, her daughter Zara Tindall and son Peter Phillips.
In total, they all spent around 10 minutes reading the heartfelt notes that have been left by members of the public.
The family paused at the gates and waved to the crowds before returning to the privacy of Balmoral.