'She was a neighbour, more than just the Queen'
- Published
The community of Ballater, less than eight miles from Balmoral, considered the Queen to be more of a friendly neighbour than a monarch.
The Royal Family have strong links with the local area, going back decades.
Butcher Brian Scott, of HM Sheridan which supplies Balmoral, said: "She was a member of the community, more than just the Queen. She was a local to the village."
The grey skies and rain in Ballater the day after the Queen's death matched the sombre mood of the nation. However, the wet weather gave way to glimpses of sunshine.
The village went about its business as usual - albeit with a large media presence.
People queued for buses to take their flowers to Balmoral
Park-and-ride facilities were set up to take people by bus to Balmoral to pay their respects in an effort to tackle parking issues.
Almost everyone in the village seemed happy to speak when asked for their thoughts of the Queen, a sign of the high regard in which she was held there.
Flowers have been laid in the centre of the village next to a picture of the Queen.
Ballater was badly hit by flooding in 2015 when the River Dee burst its banks during Storm Frank.
The Queen later met residents who had been impacted, and praised local efforts.
One of those she met was Brian Scott.
Butcher Brian Scott said the Queen always took an interest in local people
"She was very open, very willing to speak, asking questions, taking an interest," he said. "She was a star, she liked a good laugh, she was a really nice person."
He added that everything about the village was royal, adding that King Charles helped to rebuild the village after the floods.
"Everything just kind of feels like it has gone pear-shaped," he said. "Everybody in the village loved her. She will definitely be missed."
Alistair Cassie runs a hardware shop in the village and provided Balmoral with its televisions.
"It was quite a contract and I was granted a royal warrant for my efforts," he told BBC Scotland.
He said that on one occasion he bumped into the Queen while at the castle fixing a radio.
Hardware shop owner Alistair Cassie carried out work at Balmoral and had a royal warrant
"There was a tremendous interference on the radio, and it was caused by the police radios just squeezing the signal out," he said. "So I was walking along this corridor and who did I meet but the Queen."
As they chatted she told him she enjoyed listening to Jimmy Young, the English disc jockey and radio personality.
"You needed to shy away if you saw the Corgis coming round the corner," he recalled.
"But she was very, very easy to talk to."
Mr Cassie was involved in the construction of a Jubilee cairn in Ballater featuring 60 stones from 30 hills.
'A wonderful life'
"I was one of the guys who showed the Queen round," he said. "I told her a few stories and she laughed. She had a great sense of humour, " he said.
"She was lovely that day. She visited the schoolkids, they had a wee competition for her, and she spoke to a lot of the elderly people in the nursing home.
"It was a very social day and security were trying to rush her away because she had overstayed her time, but she took her time and spoke to everyone and that was a great thing to happen."
He said before royal security was as tight as today, the monarch would sometimes just appear at someone's house on the estate and say "how are you doing?".
Speaking about the Queen's death, he said: "It's sad, but she had a wonderful life."
Former Royal butler Grant Harrold got to dance with the Queen at Balmoral
Grant Harrold was a royal butler for King Charles from 2004 to 2011, when he was the Prince of Wales. He described the night he achieved a childhood dream of dancing with the Queen.
"It was a huge honour," said Airdrie-born Mr Harrold, who joined the royal household at the age of 26.
Mr Harrold, 44, had watched the Queen dancing on TV when he was just 15.
"One of my favourite memories was at Balmoral Castle where I actually did get to dance with her in the room I watched on this programme 11 years before," he said.
"It's one of those moments still to this very day I pinch myself and think 'Did that actually happen?'
"It was the ghillies ball where it wasn't unusual for the Queen to dance with family members and staff members and for me it was extraordinary. I was so nervous."
'Highland paradise'
The Queen and Prince Philip had a small cottage on the Balmoral Estate called Craig Gowan house.
"She called it her Highland paradise", Mr Harrold told BBC Radio Four.
"It was very humble compared to the castle. It was described to me as that's where they would play Mr and Mrs and obviously that was where they could just be themselves.
"From what I was told - I never witnessed it - she would be in the kitchen cooking away and he would lay the table so it was very much a chance for them to be a normal couple."
A book of condolence was opened at Glenmuick Church in Ballater
The Rev David Barr described the Queen as being "compassionate and full of grace"
At Glenmuick Church in Ballater a book of condolence has been opened. Rev David Barr said the church was open to allow to people to come in, sit and remember the Queen.
He said: "She has been in this community for more than 30% of her life, as Queen and as a child. The Queen loved this place, the freedom.
"She was not just our Queen she was a neighbour, and a big part of this community. She was our anchor."
Church bells tolled in Ballater on Thursday evening when news of the Queen's death broke, with people stopping in their tracks and bowing their heads.
Rev Barr said: "She was compassionate and full of grace. The Balmoral estate is a family - you lose one of your own.
"During the floods Her Majesty asked for a daily report. And she came here to thank individuals. And she was 90 at the time.
"She made you feel you were the only person in the world."
Ice cream parlour owner Cheryl Barr said the Queen "gave her heart and soul" to the community
Across from the church in the tight-knit community, the minister's daughter Cheryl Barr owns Shorty's ice cream parlour.
"You can feel the emotion from everybody around here," she said. "She was a very powerful lady, but very gentle at the same time.
"She gave her heart and soul to our community - it's a great loss."
Councillor Geva Blackett, who represents Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside, said the Queen's death was a matter of great sadness locally but the strong links with the Royal Family would remain.
"She was one of the most remarkable people to ever have lived," she said. "She is going to be incredibly missed."
She added: "His Majesty also has very close links. He has been so involved over the years and given so much to the area."
Robert Lacey, royal historian and author of the "The Queen: A Life in Brief", said Balmoral was a special place to the Queen.
"That she died in this corner of the United Kingdom where she enjoyed being normal is significant," he added.
Window of hairdresser's in Ballater
