A happy place with a relaxed atmosphere. Birkhall, an unpretentious house sheltered by the wooded hills of Royal Deeside, has been the setting for at least six royal honeymoons - including that of the Queen and Prince Philip in 1947 - and a great many more secret courtships. It stands at the edge of the Balmoral estate, private and self-contained, on its own green plateau, overlooking a tumbling garden and the salmon-rich River Muick. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother described it as "a small big house, or a big small house".