The staff of Queen Elizabeth's Scottish residence said that walkers are defecating on the grounds of the Balmoral Castle. The castle is frequently visited by the Queen during holidays.
Outdoor toilet
Employees have complained about finding wet wipes left by the walked on the estate and they urged the public to not use the spot as an outdoor toilet. Due to the coronavirus lockdown in the United Kingdom, most public facilities are closed.
However, people are still allowed to go out, socialize and exercise, these activities may have lead a lot of people to seek quiet public places to relieve themselves. A staff at Balmoral Castle wrote that they are disappointed to see so many wet wipes discarded on the estate.
The wet wipes were found next to monuments and paths. They reminded the public that there are no toilets available for miles around at the moment.
The staff added that the part of the problem is that they are seeing a lot of non-biodegradable wipes that are being discarded in the countryside and that people are choosing to answer the call of nature right next to monuments or busy paths instead of moving a bit further away in order to avoid contamination.
However, the castle also acknowledges the need of the people to relieve themselves while walking around the royal estate.
The staff of the castle tweeted on June 28 that if people need to pee, it should be done at least 30 meters from streams or lochs. If people need to defecate, it should be done as far away as possible from paths, buildings, farm animals, and watercourses. They added that feces should be buried in a shallow hole and it should replace the turf.
The warm weather in the United Kingdom has enticed the people to visit parks, beaches and the countryside for walks. On June 25, a major incident was declared in Bournemouth on England's south coast after thousands of people went to the beach despite the surging coronavirus cases in the country, according to CNN.
The Queen and the members of the royal family spend weeks every year at Balmoral Castle. The castle is a 50,000-acre estate located in the Scottish Highlands. But the Queen has spent most of the coronavirus lockdown at Windsor Castle, another royal estate near London.
Queen's message
In April, the Queen aired her speech that was watched by 24 million TV viewers, according to BBC. She thanked the people for following the government rules to stay at home and she praised those who are coming together to help others.
The speech was the fifth one that the Queen has given in her 68-year reign. Her most recent speech was on Christmas Day which drew a combined overnight audience of 7.85 million.
In her speech, the Queen said that the United Kingdom will succeed in its fight against the pandemic. She also paid tribute to the essential workers for their efforts. She filmed the speech from Windsor Castle.
The Queen said that the coronavirus pandemic was a different challenge compared to what the country had faced before. Her message ended with the words "we will meet again" which is a reference to Dame Vera Lynn's war anthem We'll Meet Again.
