Why few people have heard of the 'royal family' at Balmoral who live in a thatched residence
King Charles is not the only member of royalty who does good work for the environment
The royal family has been a presence at Balmoral for many a year, although they tend to keep a low profile – so much so that local people usually do not even realise they are actually there.
Perhaps for this reason, their dedicated and long-standing efforts to ensure woodlands in the area are healthy, functioning habitats for a range of species have largely gone unnoticed, a gap in our knowledge that we are glad has finally been filled.
The regal residence may strike some as surprisingly modest, and many people are unaware that the roof is actually thatched – sad to say a dying art, among humans at least – with heather and dead grass.
We speak, of course, not of our own Royal Family, but of a colony of narrow-headed ants, one of the UK’s rarest, and their queen who have been discovered living happily on the Balmoral Estate. While they are different species, we feel confident that King Charles, whose environmental credentials are well known, will be delighted to learn of his newly identified neighbours and the good work that they do.
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