The Queen once ‘cut short a game of solitaire’ to show off holiday snaps

'As the conversation developed, the Queen gave increasingly less attention to the game and became quite animated as we spoke.'

Fond memories of the Queen have been shared widely this week, painting a detailed picture of the monarch’s personality.

Rev Ken MacKenzie, who preached at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, has recalled how he once interrupted the royal as she played solitaire, a game also known as patience.

He preached at the Kirk several times including during his Moderatorial year in 2015-16 which included a weekend stay at Balmoral Castle.

There, he collected many special memories of Her Majesty the Queen.

‘I suspect like most visiting preachers, spending the weekend at Balmoral with the Queen for the first time, I was somewhat nervous in anticipation of our first meeting’, he said.

He was then escorted into a drawing room where he found the Queen sitting at a small table playing the game of solitaire.

She continued to play as they greeted each other.

Rev MacKenzie said: ‘After friendly greetings, she resumed her seat, with me sitting close by.

‘She continued to play as we engaged in conversation. It struck me as a very kind means of helping the visitor to relax, having us both focus on the table and cards.

‘As the conversation developed, the Queen gave increasingly less attention to the game and became quite animated as we spoke.’

The Queen discovered Rev MacKenzie had Hebridean connections, and their conversation soon turned to a recent holiday.

She had only recently returned from a holiday with Prince Philip and various generations of the Royal Family around the Western Isles on board the Royal Yacht, Britannia.

‘For a few moments, you felt it could have been any devoted grandmother speaking of the fun they had’ Rev MacKenzie added.

‘Pointing to one little lad she said, “If you turned your back on that rascal for an instant, you’d find him up at the top of a cliff!”

Rev Mackenzie, former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, was part of the funeral cortege travelling to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh today.

Thousands lined the streets today as the Queen’s coffin travelled down from Balmoral to in Edinburgh.

Well-wishers stood solemnly on the Royal Mile to pay their respects to the late monarch.

Claps and cheers had broken out across Scotland as a procession made a 175-mile, six-hour journey from Balmoral.

A sombre-looking Princess Anne followed behind in a limousine, along with husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, after staying to accompany her mother.